


The Thunder God and his Witch

by StrikeMoonstone9387



Series: The Saga of Magic and Thunder [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Charmed (1998) Makes an Appearance, Child Harry Potter, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Kid Fic, Timeline What Timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:29:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26046550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrikeMoonstone9387/pseuds/StrikeMoonstone9387
Summary: Lyssa Potter knew what she wanted out of life: grieve for her dead brother and sister-in-law, raise her niece and try to get justice for her wrongly imprisoned friend/ pseudo-brother, all the while working with and chasing storms with Jane Foster. Upon getting a lead that would prove their theories in New Mexico, the last thing Lyssa expected was to meet the banished Norse God of Thunder, Thor Odinson. Except the Thunder God wasn’t really what most would expect; he was pretty much the personification of a pampered and spoiled prince, only with combat skills and a massive ego to boot.
Relationships: Thor (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Saga of Magic and Thunder [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890757
Comments: 2
Kudos: 148





	1. Prologue: The Past

**Prologue: The Past**

_ Once, mankind accepted a simple truth: that they were not alone in this Universe. Some worlds, man believed to be home to their gods. Others, they knew to fear. _

_ From a realm of cold and darkness came the Frost Giants, threatening to plunge the mortal world into a new Ice Age. _

_ But humanity would not face this threat alone. The Asgardian armies drove the Frost Giants back into the heart of their own world. The cost was great. In the end, the Frost Giant’s king fell and the source of their power was taken from them. _

_ With the last Great War ended, the Asgardian armies withdrew from the other worlds and returned home to the Realm Eternal, Asgard. _

_ There they remain, as a beacon of hope shining out across the stars. And though they have fallen into man’s myths and legends, it was Asgard and her warriors that brought peace to the Universe. _

_ But, the day will come when one of Odin’s sons will have to defend that peace. _

_ Will they be ready? _


	2. The Storm

_ Notes: Lyssa looks like Elena Satine with darker and longer hair and moonlit silver eyes. Aria looks like Bailee Maddison with black hair, fair skin and emerald green eyes. _

_ Harry Potter timeline is 29 years after Canon. _

**Chapter 1: The Storm**

_ Puente Antiguo, New Mexico, Earth _

_ May 31 _ _ , 2011 _

An old van stood alone on a dirt road, the overhead floodlights providing the only light on the dark, moonless night. Inside were five passengers – four adults and one toddler.

In the driver’s seat was Darcy Lewis, the young intern of Dr. Jane Foster who sat in the passenger seat working away on her computers. Behind her was her colleague and best friend, Dr. Lysianassa ‘Lyssa’ Melody Potter. The remaining adult was the scientists’ mentor, Professor Erik Selvig who was sitting behind the driver’s seat. Last but not least was little Arianwen ‘Aria’ Lily Potter, Lyssa’s 22-month-old niece-turned-daughter who was fast asleep in her car seat between the adults in the backseat, absently suckling away at a bottle of milk that Erik was holding up.

Lyssa and Jane’s computers beeped merrily while the two women worked with tunnel-vision focus, calculating their data and factoring all the variables into their calculations. Like always, both were barely aware of their rather uncomfortable surroundings, though Lyssa kept an eye on her sleeping daughter.

Darcy glanced at the two women and sighed, shifting in her seat to find a more comfortable position. While the van was admittedly quite comfortable, it did become painful after being in one place for over 3 hours. Looking into the rearview mirror, she shot a pleading look at Erik. He only sighed in response, just as uncomfortable as the intern.

“Got it.” Jane said after several minutes, her accent unmistakably American. “Lyssa?”

She was a young pretty woman, standing at 5’2 with light brown hair that reached her shoulder blades in loose waves and light brown-hazel eyes. In her early thirties and a brilliant astrophysicist, Jane was considered a little eccentric by her peers in the Academic Community. She was dressed in a long-sleeved light purple and pink button-down blouse over a white tank top, a pair of dark jeans and black 1” high heeled ankle boots. Overtop, she had a dark brown coat to combat the desert’s cold night weather, her hair open and gently tumbling around her shoulders.

“Yes, I have it.” Lyssa replied in a soft, lilting Welsh accent. She glanced at the older woman briefly before looking back at her computer.

At 24 years of age, she stood at a petite 4’8 with an hourglass figure and curves in all the right places. She had dark, cherry red, almost black hair*, reaching her hips in loose, layered ringlets* and her flawless fair skin contained a very subtle hint of a tan from the time spent outdoors, being equally athletic and agile from a lifetime of what many would consider ‘extreme sports’. Her moonlit silver gazelle eyes were framed by long, thick lashes and between her softly arched eyebrows, she bore a curious birthmark in the shape of a crescent moon* in a pale silvery gold color, standing out against her fair skin. Add in the way her beauty seemed almost otherworldly while still being natural, Lyssa was very exotic in appearance when compared to her American friends and pseudo-family. She was dressed in a light blue long-sleeved sweater blouse, a pair of light grey trousers and grey 4” high heeled ankle boots with a pair of small pearl earrings in her ears. Overtop, she wore a light grey pea coat* and her long hair was tied into a high pony.

Unknown to her friends was the fact that Lyssa was a witch, descended from the Noble Houses of Potter and of Peverell, though that was not the reason behind her otherworldly beauty. She was incredibly skilled in magic from childhood, her years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry only strengthening her power and helping her harness it. She was even able to use wandless magic with relative ease, though it would tire her out if she used too much at once. Generally a kind-hearted woman with an immense capacity for love and compassion, she was a force to be reckoned with when her loved ones, particularly her daughter, were in danger.

Jane reached over the armrest and grabbed a piece of circular equipment before sticking her head out of the sunroof. Erik followed suit and watched as his protégé set the device on the roof of the van and locked it into place. She looked at her digital reader before looking out at the dark night sky that surrounded them, an expression of anticipation on her face. He followed her gaze, a look of skepticism clear on his own face.

The sky remained clear and calm, only a few wisps of clouds passing by.

“Wait for it, Erik.” Lyssa called from inside the van, knowing with almost uncanny accuracy just what the older man was about to say.

Erik glanced down into the van, seeing Lyssa look up at him and smile brightly before turning back to the computers. Not for the first time he wondered just how the British-born aristocrat knew what he had been thinking. The woman often had instinctive feelings that almost always turned out to be correct.

What the older man didn’t know was that Lyssa had the gift of Foresight in addition to her magic. Not only did she get instinctive feelings, she often got visions of what was, what is and what may come to pass. While it had done her no good in trying to save her brother and his wife from being murdered, nor did her ‘gift’ save her brother’s best friend from being sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit while the true criminal roamed free, it had allowed her to be able to gain custody of her niece over her sister-in-law’s horrid sister.

There was no way that Lyssa believed Peter Pettigrew had been killed in the explosion that unfortunately claimed the lives of 12 Muggles while leaving a finger of himself behind. Pettigrew had always been a coward, hiding behind his stronger and more powerful friends for protection.

Despite her best efforts, all she was able to do was convince Albus Dumbledore of Sirius’ innocence and gain a promise from the elderly man to search for the truth; even in the magical court system, Foresight didn’t hold very much weight without hard evidence to back it up. In the meantime, Lyssa took Aria and returned to America where she had already begun making her career as an Astrophysicist. Remus Lupin, her brother’s other best friend, stayed in England to help find the truth, remaining in contact with Lyssa through letters and even through Muggle technology as much as possible.

“Can I turn on the radio?” Darcy asked looking back at Lyssa with a bored expression on her face.

She was a 24-year-old Political Science student at Culver University, the same school Lyssa and Jane were both alumni of. Just as pretty as Jane, though in a different way, Darcy had lightly curled brown hair and blue-grey eyes, standing at a curvaceous 5’4. She was dressed in a navy-blue t-shirt, hip hugging jeans and knee-high brown boots. To combat the desert chill, she had a cap on her head, a scarf around her neck, a pair of gloves on her hands and a parka over top. Like Jane, she had her hair open and tumbling around her shoulders, though her cap kept the luscious locks from coming into her face.

“No.” Jane replied before Lyssa could, knowing that the Welshwoman would have allowed it.

Darcy rolled her eyes and turned back to the front, muttering under her breath. Lyssa looked at her computer, monitoring the readings and rechecking her calculations.

“Jane, Lyssa, you girls can’t keep doing this.” Erik said gently, looking down at the women he had come to love as his own daughters.

He was a renowned astrophysicist, specializing in Theoretical Astrophysics, and a professor at Culver University. In his early fifties with sharp grey eyes, his thinning hair was grey-going-on-white though his advancing age didn’t take away from his ability to protect his friends and family with fierce determination. And Lyssa, Darcy, Jane and Aria were at the very top of that list, loving the women as his own daughters and the toddler as a granddaughter. He was dressed in a royal blue button-down shirt, jeans and brown work boots. Overtop, he had a black pea coat on, done up halfway with a scarf around his neck.

“The last 17 occurrences have been predictable to the second.” Jane argued, ducking back into the van and picking up her journal, showing the older man her notes.

“Jane, you and Lyssa are astrophysicists.” Erik said, his voice still gentle as he ducked down into the van as well. “You’re not some storm chasers.” He turned to Lyssa, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Lyssa, you can’t keep taking Aria out like this. It’s not good for her.”

“I’m telling you, Erik, there is a connection between these atmospheric readings and our research.” Lyssa argued, avoiding the remark about what her actions were doing to her daughter.

It hadn’t been done lightly nor had it been easy making the decision to continue her research while Aria was so small, initially intending to wait until she had started at Hogwarts at the age of 11 before returning to her work. However, when Jane had approached her with her theories about the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, Lyssa felt that she couldn’t drop her work. So, she had packed up her and her daughter’s belongings and went on the road with her best friend while raising the newly orphaned little girl.

But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t always thinking about Aria. One of the terms she had with Jane in regard to their work was that so long as Aria was safe, happy and healthy, she would continue with her research. Although if the little girl was hurt, or if her health began showing signs of decline due to their ‘storm chasing’, Lyssa wouldn’t hesitate to back out. She had made it very clear that her first priority was her daughter, especially since she was all she had left. Jane readily agreed without hesitation.

“Erik, I wouldn’t have asked you to fly all the way out here if Lyssa and I weren’t absolutely sure.” Jane added, lowering her journal and rapidly typing away at her computer.

“Jane? Lyssa?” Darcy called in a small voice, looking out through her window and into the sky. “I think you two might want to see this.”

Jane, Lyssa and Erik looked out the window and frowned at the sight that greeted them.

The night sky, previously calm and clear, now shone with beams of bright light.

“What is that?” Jane asked in confusion, climbing onto the seat and poking her head out of the sunroof with Erik beside her.

“I thought you girls said it was a subtle aurora!” Erik said, equally confused.

Lyssa frowned, something about the sight seemed to be familiar. But, like memory just out of reach, she couldn’t remember what it was.

_ “I now take from you, your power. And in the name of my father and his father before, I, Odin Allfather, cast you out!” _

Her frown deeped at the sound of the voice, weathered but filled with ancient wisdom. Something was happening and it was connected to the swirling lights that shone against the night sky.

“Go!” Jane shouted down to Darcy.

Darcy wasted no time in putting the van into gear and speeding down the road, uncaring of the bumps they rode over. At the unsettling motions, Aria woke with a start and began crying loudly.

The little girl looked like a female version of her father with her fair white skin, raven black hair reaching just past her shoulders and aristocratic eyebrows and nose, though she shared her emerald green eyes with her birth mother. However, marring her forehead was a curious cut in the shape of a lightning bolt directly above her right eyebrow; it was the scar that she had received the night her parents were murdered by the Dark Lord Voldemort. Dressed in an emerald green sleeper with her short, naturally layered disarrayed curls* in two pigtails, she was swaddled in a beautifully made blanket (Aria's 'bwankey') that was delicately embroidered with the Hogwarts crest and motto in the very middle and sectioned into four parts with each corner designed with a different pattern – a gold lion against a ruby red background, a silver serpent against an emerald green background, a bronze raven against a sapphire blue background and a black badger against a topaz yellow background.

Lyssa had made it herself when she had learned of her sister-in-law’s pregnancy, designing and stitching it lovingly with her own hands and without the use of magic aside from imbuing it with the love she held for her family and friends. The blanket would always provide Aria with a feeling of warmth and love, growing with her as she aged and would never fade or lose color no matter what it went through or how many times it was washed.

Lyssa pushed her confusion aside for the moment, turning to her daughter. “Shh, it’s okay, my darling.” She soothed softly, gently guiding the milk bottle back into the girl’s mouth and holding it in place as she resumed suckling her drink.

Reassured that her mother was there to protect her from harm, Aria slowly went back to sleep, no longer caring about the unsettling drive.

In the sky above, the rapidly forming clouds began swirling around as thunder echoed on the wind.

“Darcy, get closer!” Lyssa called, silently and unobtrusively casting a protection spell over each of them.

“Right.” Darcy scoffed, turning to go in the opposite direction of the storm. “Good one, Red.”

“Go!” Jane shouted, ducking back into the van and pulling out her camera, training it on the forming storm.

_ Very _ reluctantly, Darcy followed the order and drove them closer to the storm while Jane laughed delightedly, the camera firmly trained on the clouds. Lyssa and Erik looked at the computers, the screens displaying an infrared version of the growing vortex.

Suddenly, the vortex grew downwards in a spiral and reached the earth directly in front of them. Darcy slammed the brakes as they all exclaimed in shock, Aria waking up with a start once more and beginning to cry.

“Shh, shh.” Lyssa cooed, running her hands through Aria’s black hair comfortingly. Aria grabbed onto her fingers, curling her own tiny digits round her longer ones. “It’s okay, my darling. Mummy’s here.”

Darcy swerved to the left in a hard turn, barely avoiding the funnel as the van skidded on the dirt road.

“What are you doing?!” Jane shouted, reaching out to the steering wheel with one hand while holding the camera in the other.

“I am not dying for six college credits!” Darcy yelled, continuing to drive them away from the vortex funnel.

“I’m with Darcy on this one!” Lyssa yelled, one hand still being tightly gripped by Aria while curling the other around the toddler protectively.

Jane and Darcy grappled for the steering wheel, one trying to drive them towards the vortex while the other tried going in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, the vortex continued to swirl, thunder crashing within its confines while a bright beam of rainbow-colored light shot down inside it.

Seeing the rainbow light, Lyssa frowned, once again getting the feeling that it was familiar. Shaking her head and pushing the thought to the side, she focused on keeping her protection spells in place while Darcy and Jane continued grappling for the steering wheel.

“Hit the brakes!” Lyssa shouted suddenly, her voice firm and urgent.

The tone of the young woman’s voice meaning no arguments, Darcy hit the brakes just as a shadowed figure appeared in front of the van. Unfortunately, while Darcy had been able to stop, the shadowed figure wasn’t quite so lucky – his own momentum sent him flying into the hood of the van before he toppled over.

Jane gasped in shock, exchanging stunned looks with Darcy, Lyssa and Erik before the three women scrambled out of the van. Aria, now wide awake and looking around with bright green eyes, stayed with Erik inside, the older man watching from the open window. Thankfully, the girl wasn’t crying, more curious to what was going on around her and of the firm belief that her mother would protect her from all harm and danger.

“I think that was legally your fault.” Darcy told Jane as they carefully made their way to the fallen figure.

“Darcy, get the first-aid kit, please.” Lyssa ordered, cutting through the intern’s rising panic with her firm order.

Darcy nodded and hurried back to the van while Jane and Lyssa crouched beside the prone figure. A young man. He had rich golden hair that flowed gently to his broad shoulders in layers, a well-groomed golden beard along his strong jaw and a well-muscled figure. He was dressed in a light grey long-sleeved shirt that emphasized his broad chest and trim waist, with black trousers highlighting his muscled legs and black boots. The most curious thing about him though was that he seemed to possess an otherworldly beauty to his chiseled features, even with his eyes still hidden behind closed lids. It was similar to Lyssa’s beauty, though more ethereal, as though not from Earth.

“Do me a favor and don’t be dead.” Jane pleaded as Lyssa began checking his vitals, starting with a pulse. “Please.”

“He’s alive.” Lyssa said, causing Jane to let out a sigh of relief. Erik, with a swaddled Aria in his arms, approached them cautiously, Darcy lighting the way with her flashlight in one hand and holding the first aid kit in the other. “I don’t know how it’s possible, but his vitals are strong considering he was nearly pancaked by our van.” Lyssa said, trying to come up with an explanation to the man’s lack of injuries; even with magic, the man should have at least  _ some _ kind of bruising as proof of his near accident. She glanced up at Erik who was keeping a firm hold on a wriggling Aria. “Just to be safe though, keep your distance Erik. We have no idea who this man is, and though I’m normally optimistic about strangers, I don’t want to take a chance with Aria.”

Erik nodded in reply, taking a few steps further back and watching while Lyssa expertly checked the man over for any injuries and, more importantly, for a concussion.

The man woke with a gasp, revealing a pair of startling bright blue eyes. He looked at Lyssa with a frown, confusion etched across his handsome features and in his clear eyes.

“Hey, it’s okay, honey. You’re okay.” Lyssa said soothingly, her tone similar to the one she would use on Aria when she was restless.

“Whoa.” Darcy breathed, catching sight of the man’s striking features and captivating eyes. “Does he need CPR? Because I totally know CPR.”

“I think he’s okay on that front, Darcy.” Lyssa said, glancing up at the woman before turning back to the man. “My name is Lyssa. What’s yours?”

He continued staring at Lyssa, his gaze filled with confusion before groaning and dropping his head back to the ground.

“Where did he come from?” Jane wondered, looking around at their darkened surroundings, the night calm once again with no sign of the vortex they had been chasing.

_ Links: _

_ *Lyssa’s hair color - _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879482101667/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879482101667/)

_ *Lyssa’s crescent moon (silvery grey; in between the eyebrows) - _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/387309636701968168/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/387309636701968168/)

_ *Lyssa’s outfit, hair in a high pony - _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AVJBkf3r9H452n1cVeAr80d83c7dRbrmc0gbWlYG3oK4f33z7pOCqCE/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AVJBkf3r9H452n1cVeAr80d83c7dRbrmc0gbWlYG3oK4f33z7pOCqCE/)

_ *Lyssa ringlets -  _ [ _ https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/541628292677582929/?nic_v1=1a7F5Lj18 _ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/541628292677582929/?nic_v1=1a7F5Lj18)

_ *Aria curls (reaching just past her shoulder blades) -  _ [ _ https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/714876140836055432/ _ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/714876140836055432/)


	3. The Man

**Chapter 2: The Man**

The man groaned and got unsteadily to his feet, looking around in confusion. He emitted a low sound from his throat, similar to a growl.

“Are you all right?” Lyssa asked worriedly while Erik took a few steps back from the unsteady man.

“Hammer?” The man growled with a cultured European accent. “Hammer?!”

“Yeah, we can tell you’re hammered.” Darcy sassed, eyeing the man nervously. “It’s pretty obvious.”

“Darcy.” Lyssa chided gently, glancing at the intern before turning to the stranger.

Jane glanced at the ground and gasped in shock. “Oh, my God. Erik, Lyssa look at this!” She cried, shining her torch at the ground.

Turning their attention from the dazed man, Erik, Lyssa and Darcy looked to the ground and saw what had caught Jane’s attention.

A large sigil had been burned into the desert sand. It was in the exact place the vortex had hit the earth.

“We have to move quickly before this all changes.” Jane continued briskly, rummaging through her pockets and pulling out several pieces of equipment.

Lyssa frowned, once again getting the feeling that the symbol was familiar in some way. Try as she might, the memories associated with the symbol, the vortex and the rainbow light stayed firmly at the very edge of her consciousness. Shaking her head, she expertly pushed the feeling aside and focused on the task at hand. “Jane, we need to take this man to the hospital.” Lyssa said firmly, watching the man stumble around almost in a daze. “I really don’t like the way he’s stumbling around. He could have a concussion or an injury that I couldn’t detect.”

“Father!” The man shouted, looking up at the sky.

“He’s fine.” Jane said dismissively, not looking away from her task of collecting samples. “Look at him.”

“Heimdall!” The man continued to shout. “I know you can hear me! Open the Bifrost!”

Lyssa frowned again; the man’s words reminded her of one of the lessons in the Mythology class she had taken while in school and the stories she had been told as a child. “Did he say ‘Heimdall’ and ‘Bifrost’?” She asked, looking at her friends with the frown still on her face.

“Yep.” Darcy replied, nodding.

“Hospital.” Jane said in agreement, clearly thinking the man had lost his mind. “You guys go, I’ll stay.” She said, looking at Erik and Lyssa.

“You.” The man said, turning to the group at large. “What Realm is this? Alfheim? Nornheim?”

“New Mexico?” Darcy threw in, drawing her taser and aiming it at the ranting man.

“Actually, you’re on-” Lyssa started to say, recognizing the names.

“You dare threaten me, Thor, with so puny a weapon?” The man asked, cutting Lyssa off and sneering at Darcy.

Darcy raised her eyebrow and fired her taser at the man proclaiming to be Thor. The man’s body seized up as the electrical currents shot through him. Shuddering for several seconds, he fell backwards and into the ground, unconscious. 

"Oh no." Aria said, waving her hand in the unconscious man's general direction.

“Midgard.” Lyssa finished her previous statement, moving towards Thor and checking his vitals once again.

Meanwhile, Erik and Jane stared at Darcy in shock, their mouths hanging open at the uncharacteristic display.

“What?” Darcy asked defensively, seeing the shocked looks. “He was freaking me out!”

“Wow!” Aria cried delightedly, clapping her hands happily.

“Take Aria while I get this guy into the car.” Erik said, shaking his head and carefully holding Aria out to Darcy.

The intern pocketed her taser and took the toddler, making sure she was properly swaddled against the cool air and her hands were away from the taser. Erik and Lyssa worked in unison to get Thor into a fireman’s carry over the older scientist’s shoulders before walking towards the van. Darcy, keeping one arm firmly around Aria, packed up the first aid kit and followed behind the pair. Jane, meanwhile, pulled out her camera and began filming the site before nature took its course and covered the symbol over.

Reaching the van, Lyssa took Aria from Darcy and buckled her into her car seat. The little girl was nodding off once again, the excitement of the past several minutes wearing her out.

“Next time you decide to taser somebody, make sure he’s already in the car, okay?” Erik said to Darcy, gently putting the unconscious man into the trunk while being mindful of their equipment.

Darcy nodded, wincing sheepishly as Erik rubbed his shoulders. Thor was seriously  _ heavy _ .

“Jane!” Lyssa called over her shoulder, getting into the van beside Aria’s car seat. “Let’s go!”

Jane nodded and ran to the van, climbing into the front passenger seat while Darcy got behind the wheel once again. Erik closed the back doors and slid into his previous seat behind the driver, nodding at Darcy once the door was closed. She started the van, turning on the headlights and driving down the road once more, this time heading towards town.

The drive itself was passed silently and they reached the County Hospital nearly 20 minutes later. Erik, Darcy, Jane and Lyssa, with Aria in her arms and once again wide awake, climbed out of the van and made their way to the reception desk. They stopped in front of the admin nurse who quickly called for a pair of orderlies to take the unconscious male into an empty room, a doctor checking his vitals while keeping pace with the moving stretcher.

“Name?” The nurse asked, pulling up a blank patient chart and preparing to document the relative information.

“Thor.” Lyssa replied, adjusting her hold on Aria who was wriggling in her arms. “No, baby, you can’t go down.”

“Here, let me take her.” Erik said, holding his hands out to Lyssa while the nurse spelled out the patient’s name as she slowly entered it into the computer.

Lyssa passed her daughter over to the older man, Erik swiftly lifting the girl onto his shoulders and drawing a happy giggle.

“And your relationship to him?” The nurse asked, a small smile on her face as she glanced at the baby for a moment.

“None of us have ever met him before.” Jane replied, shrugging and getting nods of agreement from the others.

“Until Jane hit him with a car.” Darcy threw in helpfully.

“I grazed him.” Jane corrected defensively. “But she tasered him.” She pointed at Darcy.

“Yes, I did.” Darcy said, smiling proudly.

“Ignore them.” Lyssa said with a long-suffering sigh, rolling her large eyes. “We just want to be sure that he’ll be okay.”

“Okay.” The nurse said, nodding. “Uh, I need a contact name and a number.”

“Lysianassa Potter.” Lyssa replied, giving the name on her ID card rather than her preferred nickname.

“L-Y-” The nurse spelled out as she began slowly entering the letters of the impossibly long name into the computer.

“Wait.” Erik said, cutting the nurse off. He reached into his pocket with his free hand while holding Aria in place with his other and pulled out a card. “I’ve got a card here.” He handed it to the nurse with a smile. “Thank you.” He said earnestly, expertly masking his desire to leave the hospital as fast as possible. “I guess we can go.”

The nurse nodded absently, focused on the card and adding the details to the computer.

As quickly yet inconspicuously as possible, Erik herded Lyssa, Darcy and Jane out of the hospital. He moved Aria off his shoulders and back into his arms as they crossed the threshold and out into the cool night air.

~*~

_ June 1 _ _ , 2011 _

The next day, after a few hours of sleep, Erik, Jane, Darcy and Lyssa were in the main area of their temporary home/ makeshift lab/ research base, looking at their readings from the previous night. The building had previously been an auto shop called ‘Smith Motors’ before Lyssa and Jane had rented it from the owners who had moved out of town.

“You girls don’t think this was just a magnetic storm, do you?” Erik asked Lyssa and Jane.

“Not in the least.” Lyssa chirped, grinning up at the older man from where she was feeding Aria his breakfast.

While Erik, Darcy and Jane were still in their clothes from the previous day, Lyssa had changed and put Aria in a fresh outfit as well. Aria was dressed in a long-sleeved soft blue onesie with a delicate cloud and rainbow pattern embroidered on the chest and a pair of navy blue denim jeans with black flats. Lyssa was wearing a greyish-pink short-sleeved cowl neck blouse, hip-hugging jeans and a pair of black 4” high heeled ankle boots. In addition, she had a light pink watch on her left wrist, a cuff bangle on her right wrist and a pair of small pearl pink earrings in her ears*. She tied her long hair back in a low pony, though a few strands escaped the binding and framed her face gently.

“Look, the lensing around these edges.” Jane said, gesturing to her laptop screen. “It’s characteristic of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge.”

“A what?” Darcy asked, confused.

“I thought you were a science major?” Erik asked, looking at the young woman in confusion.

“Political Science.” Darcy said, pushing her glasses up her nose.

“She was the only applicant for the internship position.” Lyssa said sheepishly.

“An Einstein-Rosen Bridge is a theoretical connection between two different points of space-time.” Erik explained to Darcy.

“It’s a wormhole.” Jane summarized, walking around the pair and moving towards the printer, grabbing the sheet that came out. “Erik, look.” She showed him the paper. “What do you see?” She asked.

“Stars.” Erik replied, taking the paper and looking at the image.

“Yeah, but not our stars.” Jane pointed out.

Lyssa cleaned Aria’s face and picked her up from the highchair, settling her into the playpen that was set up in a corner with some toys and her blanket. Once she was settled and playing happily, babbling to herself, Lyssa joined her colleagues, looking at the image in Erik’s hand. “She’s right, Erik.” The pretty redhead said, a small frown on her face. “These aren’t our constellation alignments for this time of year.” She glanced up at him briefly, seeing the unconvinced look on his face. “Believe me Erik, I took Astronomy for 7 years at school before taking the courses required for my undergrad in University. These aren’t our stars for this time of year.”

“These are the ones for our quadrant this time of year.” Jane said, picking up another sheet and showing them the image, comparing the two. “Unless Ursa Major decided to take a day off, these are someone else’s constellations.”

“Hey!” Darcy called from where she was standing by the propped-up bulletin board. She beckoned them over, gesturing to the images that were pinned up. “Check this out.”

Looking at the images, they could see the silhouette of a man  _ inside _ the storm cloud.

“No, it can’t be.” Erik breathed in shock.

Lyssa’s eyes widened, realizing that the man they encountered the previous night really  _ was _ Thor as he proclaimed to be. The storm cloud had been the Bifrost Bridge transporting him to Earth, or Midgard as it was known among the Norse. “I think we left something at the hospital, Jane.” Lyssa said, hurrying to Aria and picking her up, making sure to grab her blanket as well.

“I think so too.” Jane agreed, grabbing her jacket and journal before hurrying out to the car.

Erik and Darcy exchanged looks and shrugged, grabbing their coats as well. Lyssa quickly bundled Aria up in her coat and slipped a dark grey sweater on before following Jane out.

Arriving at the hospital barely five minutes later, the small group carefully and quietly made their way through the corridors to Thor’s room, Aria in Lyssa’s arms. Thankfully, they weren’t stopped by anyone and quickly reached it.

Entering the sterile room, they found the bed empty despite the restraints that suggested Thor had been bound.

“Oh, my God.” Darcy groaned, seeing the restraints and how they had been torn apart.

Lyssa wasn’t too surprised, knowing the basics of Asgardian physiology from school, while Jane looked around the empty room with a scowl on her pretty face. “Come on.” Lyssa hissed, slipping back out of the room.

Jane, Erik and Darcy followed after her, all of them keeping their stride just below a run to keep from drawing attention. They kept up the pace until they left the hospital and climbed back into the van, Jane at the wheel with Erik beside her, Darcy and Lyssa in the back with Aria in her car seat.

“We just lost our most important piece of evidence.” Jane said frustratedly, smacking the steering wheel. “Typical.”

“So now what?” Darcy asked, pushing her glasses up her nose.

“We find him.” Lyssa said firmly, pulling a small toy from the diaper bag and giving it to Aria to play with.

“Did either of you see what he did in there?” Erik asked, looking between Jane and Lyssa. “I’m not sure finding him is the best idea.”

“Well, our data can’t tell us what it was like to be inside that event and he can.” Jane snapped. “So, we’re gonna find him.”

“Okay.” Darcy said, pulling out her taser and checking to make sure it was still functioning.

“So we’re gonna look all over New Mexico, right?” Erik asked, the question only half-rhetorical.

“Exactly.” Jane agreed, starting the engine. Looking out the back window, Jane began carefully pulling them out of their parking spot. Only, before they moved more than a few inches, she hit the blond man they were searching for when he suddenly walked into their path. “What?!” Jane exclaimed in shock, quickly stopping the van. 

"Oh no." Aria chirped cheerfully.

Climbing out with Lyssa and Darcy, the three women ran to the prone man while Erik stayed inside with Aria, looking out of his open door.

“I’m so sorry! I swear, I’m not doing this on purpose.” Jane rambled in a near panic.

“He’s unconscious again.” Lyssa said, checking Thor’s vitals. Pulling his arms up, she looked at her friends “Help me get him into the car.” She said, straining under his weight.

Darcy opened the back door and the three women loaded him into the back, the same way Erik had the previous night.

~*~

Back at the research base, Aria began whimpering and moaning, rubbing her eyes in evidence of her tiredness; the events and excitement of the previous night had kept her awake for quite a while after they had returned from the hospital and she had woken up at her usual time that morning. Lyssa swiftly cradled Aria in her arms and began feeding her with her bottle.

“You know, for a crazy homeless person, he’s pretty cut.” Darcy commented thoughtfully, sitting down at the table with Erik. She eyed a topless Thor through the slightly ajar bathroom door.

The man had woken up as they reached their home and Jane gave him some clothes before sending him to the bathroom to change.

Jane, pacing behind Darcy, peeked at the blond man over the top of her journal before looking away and blushing lightly.

“Darcy, give the man some privacy, please.” Lyssa chided gently, putting the bottle down and holding Aria upright against her shoulder, rocking her gently.

Thor walked out of the bathroom and into the main area, only wearing a pair of well-fitting navy-blue jeans.

“Hey, sorry I tased you!” Darcy called to Thor, her eyes roving his handsome figure.

Thor didn’t reply, instead catching sight of the computer mouse that was on a nearby table. He picked it up and looked at it curiously.

“Excuse me, excuse me!” Jane cried, hurrying towards Thor and taking the mouse from his hand, putting it back by the computer. Realizing she was right next to the handsome, shirtless man, she cleared her throat awkwardly and stepped back. Not sure what to say, she looked back at her journal, suddenly finding the words that she herself had written completely fascinating.

“What is this?” Thor asked, holding up the navy-blue shirt and pointing to the name sticker on the left breast.

It said ‘Donald Blake, M.D.’

“Oh.” Jane said, looking sheepish and peeling the sticker off the fabric. “My ex.” She scrunched the sticker up and tossed it into a nearby bin. “Good with patients and bad with relationships.”

“Ex?” Thor asked, confused.

“Former suitor.” Lyssa subtitled helpfully, rubbing Aria’s back soothingly.

Thor nodded in understanding.

“They’re the only clothes we have that would fit you.” Jane added.

“They will suffice.” Thor said dismissively, walking away from her.

“Your welcome.” Jane muttered, glaring at his back.

“This mortal form has grown weak.” Thor said, pulling the shirt on. “I need sustenance.”

Darcy looked at him with a raised eyebrow while Erik crossed his arms, an incredulous expression on his face.

“Okay, to start with, you say ‘please’.” Lyssa said, carefully passing a drowsy Aria to Erik before going to the kitchen. “And keep your voice low; if you wake the baby up, I  _ will _ smack you.” She punctuated her last statement with a fierce glare at Thor that brokered no argument.

Thor looked at her for a single moment and nodded in understanding, bowing his head to her in respect. Though she was seemingly a mortal, she was speaking as a  _ mother _ .

Erik and Darcy exchanged looks, both biting back their snickers. Lyssa was already a force to be reckoned with; but when it came to her child, or any child for that matter, she was absolutely lethal and there would be no power in the Universe to stop her from carrying out her promise.

Thor watched as Lyssa puttered about the kitchen, all but gliding around the small space with the grace of a warrior and a dancer, putting several Pop Tarts on a plate that she then handed him. He nodded to her in thanks and began eating, practically inhaling the food.

“You might need to make more.” Darcy said, eyeing the rapidly emptying plate.

“I can see that.” Lyssa said, only mildly surprised at the man’s appetite as she began making the rest of the Pop Tarts in the box.

Not being a human, Thor probably needed to consume a lot of food in order to meet his body’s energy outputs. He may be in a mortal form, if his own admission was anything to go by, he still needed to consume a lot so he could maintain his muscle mass and body strength, even if it was weaker than what he was used to.

Thor continued to watch Lyssa out of the corner of his eye, taking in the way she seemed to glide around the kitchen, preparing the food while watching her child in Erik’s arms. He wondered who the little girl was, if she was Lyssa’s daughter. If so, he wondered where the girl’s father was as he was certain it wasn’t the elderly man sitting across from him. Erik seemed to behave more like the child’s grandfather than father.

Thor could also sense the power within Lyssa and Aria. The power within the woman seemed familiar, as though from a long distant memory of times gone by. He didn’t know why or how, but something about the woman reminded him of  _ her _ . Of his beloved and his brother’s best friend, of Anera, whom they had lost to battle long ago. Except that this woman had darker hair while Anera had the trademark light hair of the Light Elves that she had been born as in her most recent life, even if it  _ had _ been red in color. The only features this woman completely shared with Anera, aside from the power, was the crescent moon on her forehead and the eyes. And strangely, this woman also possessed the same otherworldly beauty of the immortal beings of the other Realms, an aura that was never found among mortals, not even those who practiced magic.

Thor was drawn out of his thoughts by a loud cry. Turning to the sound, he saw Aria wriggling in Erik’s arms, rubbing her eyes and crying.

“Mama.” Aria sobbed, silver tears falling from her large emerald green eyes. “Dada.”

“Shh, it’s okay Aria.” Erik said soothingly, rubbing his hand over the toddler’s back.

“Here, let me take her.” Lyssa said, wiping her hands on a towel before reaching out to her daughter.

“Mama.” Aria wailed.

“I don’t know what’s wrong.” Erik said in confusion, handing Aria over along with her blanket that she was loosely wrapped in. “She was fine until just now.”

As soon as Aria was in Lyssa’s arms, her cries slowed into sniffles. She tightly gripped her mother’s shirt and her blanket with one hand while sucking furiously on her other thumb.

“She misses them.” Lyssa said softly, her normally sparkling eyes dulled with pain and sorrow.

“Poor kid.” Darcy said quietly, getting to her feet and moving around the table to stand by Lyssa. She reached out and ran her hand over Aria’s cherubic cheek, the fair skin filled with the soft, rosy blush of childhood. “How long’s it been? 5, 6 months?”

“Mama.” Aria said around her thumb, snuggling against Lyssa’s chest.

“6.” Lyssa replied quietly, looking down at Aria’s face.

The toddler was wide awake, clearly not wanting to return to the dreams of her parents.

“She’ll be okay.” Erik said gently, reaching out and squeezing Lyssa’s arm reassuringly. “Kids are remarkably resilient, and Aria has you.”

“She should also have Sirius and Remus.” Lyssa said, frustration and anger seeping into her voice. She looked out through the glass that made up most of the back and side walls. “She should have her godfather and uncle here with her, teaching her how to prank and give me grey hair. She should-.” She cut herself off and shook her head, turning away and wiping the few tears that had fallen from her eyes.

Darcy, Erik and Jane exchanged looks, each one filled with sympathy for the young woman who had been through so much in so little time. While they didn’t know the entire story, like why the men she referred to couldn’t raise Aria with her or why there were things she did and said that didn’t always add up, they knew enough to feel an incredible sense of protectiveness towards her and Aria.

To lose your younger brother, sister-in-law and essentially two others you thought of as little brothers all in the span of a few hours was enough to send anyone insane, but to know that there was nothing that you could have done to save them was even worse.

All that kept her going was Aria, the sweet little emerald-eyed girl who needed Lyssa just as much as Lyssa needed Aria.

Clearing his plate, Thor watched the by-play with curious eyes, recognizing the look of anguish on Lyssa’s face. He wondered who it was that the beautiful maiden had lost, for it was obvious she had lost people she loved dearly.

“Hey, maybe we can go to Izzy’s.” Erik suggested, changing the subject entirely and wanting to clear the pain in his heart’s daughter’s eyes. “Aria loves it there and Izzy loves spoiling her.”

“Yeah, that sounds great.” Jane said, smiling brightly.

“You only think that because it’s supposed to be your turn to cook.” Lyssa said, giving the older woman a knowing look.

“Big time.” Jane said, nodding.

A running joke among the group of friends was that Jane could not cook. At all. The most she was capable of doing was putting milk in a bowl of cereal and pouring coffee from the coffee pot. Anything more and it was a recipe for an explosion just waiting to happen.

“Works for me.” Darcy chirped, making faces at Aria and drawing peals of giggles from the toddler.

_ Links: _

_ *Lyssa outfit, hair in a low pony - _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879475662008/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879475662008/)


	4. The SHIELD

**Chapter 3: The SHIELD**

At Isabella’s Diner, after receiving their order, Lyssa put small bites of buttered bread on Aria’s highchair table for her to eat. Thor was sitting on the toddler’s other side, sporting a brown jacket over his clothes and eating his food at an incredible speed, miraculously managing to not choke.

“How’d you get inside that cloud?” Jane asked curiously, looking at Thor.

“Also, how could you eat an entire box of Pop-Tarts and still be this hungry?” Darcy asked, eyeing the way Thor was practically inhaling his food.

Thor didn’t reply, only continuing to eat his food at an incredible speed.

Aria, seeing the large man beside him inhale his food, tried to do the same. The toddler was no longer upset as she had been earlier, blessedly sidetracked from her sorrow-filled dreams.

“Aria, no!” Lyssa cried, seeing Aria about to put more bread in her already full mouth. She caught her wrist and gently pried the piece of food out of her hand. “One at a time, sweetie. You need to have one piece at a time.” Aria pouted at her in response but slowed down, earning a relieved sigh from Lyssa. She turned to Darcy, still keeping an eye on Aria and began explaining, “Thor’s an Asgardian. Even though he’s in mortal form right now, he’s still processing energy like an Asgardian, so he needs to eat a lot of food.”

Thor nodded along with what Lyssa was saying as he washed his food down with coffee, downing half the mug’s contents in one go. “This drink, I like it.” Thor commented, holding the mug up.

“I know, it’s great, right?” Darcy agreed.

Erik glanced at Lyssa with a raised eyebrow but before he could comment on the aristocrat’s explanation or even how or why she believed in it, Thor slammed the coffee mug down on the ground with a cry of ‘Another!’

The sound of breaking glass startled the few patrons in the Diner and drew Izzy’s attention.

“Sorry, Izzy.” Lyssa said, looking apologetically at the elder woman. “We had a little bit of an accident. I’ll fix the mug and bring it back to you, promise.”

“No problem.” Izzy replied, smiling softly. She shot a mock reproachful look at Aria, clearly thinking the toddler had been the one to break the mug.

Lyssa hurriedly picked up the broken pieces of china and put them in a small bag handed to her by the waitress. It wasn’t the first time the toddler broke things nor was it the first time Lyssa would fix the item before sending it back. “Why did you do that?” Lyssa asked, rising gracefully to her feet and looking at Thor with a frown on her fair face.

“It was delicious.” Thor replied, shrugging lightly. “I want another.”

“Well, you could have just said so.” Jane snapped.

“I just did.” Thor said defensively, not understanding why Jane was so upset.

“She meant that you ask politely.” Lyssa explained gently, tucking the bag of broken china into her purse and looking at the golden-haired man. “While some people see the breaking of china as a sign of compliment, it is not always so.”

“I see.” Thor said softly, nodding. “I meant no disrespect, my Lady.”

“I know.” Lyssa said, smiling gently for a moment before becoming stern. “No more smashing, understood?”

“You have my word.” Thor said, bowing his head slightly.

“Thank you.” Lyssa said, smiling brightly at him.

“Yay! 'Mash!” Aria cried, clapping her hands and grabbing a fork that was near her.

“No Aria, no smashing!” Lyssa cried, quickly and gently prying the fork out of Aria’s hand. Keeping a firm and gentle hold of Aria’s hand, she chided gently, “Aria, we don’t smash Ms. Izzy’s things. That’s not very nice.”

“'Mash.” Aria repeated, pouting up at her mother.

“I’ll give you play-do when we get home.” Lyssa promised, knowing that the toddler wanted to play. “You can teach Mr. Thor how you play while Mummy works with Aunt Jane, Aunt Darcy and Grandpa.”

“Yay, pyay!” Aria cheered, clapping her hands happily and completely distracted from her earlier desire of smashing.

Thor watched as Lyssa gave a sigh of relief. His gaze roved over her dark red hair and flawless skin, the light tan evidence of her time spent outdoors. The woman’s strange eyes, the color of moonlit silver, captivated him the most, more so than the crescent moon on her forehead – the orbs that were large and glittering with playfulness but hiding a shadow of deep-wrenching pain and sorrow. They were the same eyes that Anera had, from the color and shape down to the glittering playfulness and swirling emotions in their depths.

Darcy and Erik exchanged looks, both hiding small smirks at the way Thor was watching Lyssa. It was utterly obvious that the man was attracted to the Welsh-British aristocrat and rapidly working his way towards smitten and besotted. However, the realization also brought on waves of protectiveness towards Lyssa and Aria. They knew that Lyssa was fully capable of looking after herself; they may not know much about her past, but they did know enough to be certain of her self-defense capabilities as well as her fierce protectiveness towards her daughter. However, that didn’t erase all the times they had been witness to her tears and gut-wrenching cries of agony and sorrow for those she had lost.

Jane also noticed the way Thor was watching Lyssa and felt a pang of jealousy before firmly pushing it to the side. She had no reason to be jealous over the man being attracted to Lyssa. And who could blame him? The Welshwoman was gorgeous, intelligent and a very nice person; her soft and gentle personality drew people to her like moths to a flame, though predictably, Lyssa was completely unaware of it. Lyssa’s limitless ability to love and show compassion was rivaled only by her fierce determination and protectiveness towards her daughter and her friends.

“The usual, please, Izzy.” A man’s voice said, drawing the small group out of their thoughts as a pair of newly arrived patrons placed their orders.

“You missed all the excitement out at the crater.” The second man remarked, sitting down at the counter.

“They’re saying some kind of satellite landed out in the desert.” The first man said, sitting down as well.

At the men’s words, Jane, Lyssa and Erik exchanged looks, glancing over at the recent arrivals and listening to what they were saying. Thor returned to his meal, Aria following suit, though mercifully neither inhaled the food much to Lyssa’s relief.

“Yeah.” The second man agreed, chuckling lightly. “We were having a good time with it until the Feds showed up.”

“Excuse me.” Jane called, drawing the men’s attention to them. “Did you say there was a satellite crash?”

“Yeah.” The second man replied, nodding.

“Oh, my God, this is going on Facebook.” Darcy said with a giggle, watching Thor and Aria eat. She pulled out her phone and held it up to Thor, she said, “Smile.”

Thor smiled as told and Darcy snapped a photo.

“’Mile. ‘Mile.” Aria cheered, clapping delightedly.

“Yeah, baby, smile.” Darcy said, turning her camera on the toddler and snapping several photos of her as well.

“May I ask, what did the satellite look like?” Lyssa asked curiously, keeping half an ear on Thor and Aria while focusing most of her attention on the recent arrivals and the news they brought with them.

“Well, I don’t know anything about satellites, but it was heavy.” The man replied, turning in his chair so he could look at them. Thor stopped eating and tuned in to the conversation, absently stopping Aria from putting more food into her already full mouth. “I mean, nobody could lift it.” Thor smiled softly and rose to his feet, crossing the distance towards the man. “They said it was radioactive. I had my hands all over it.”

“Which way?” Thor asked, putting a heavy hand on the man’s shoulder and getting his attention.

“Oh, uh… 50 miles west of here.” The man replied, stammering slightly. Thor nodded and turned around, striding out of the diner. “Well, I wouldn’t waste my time! Looked like the whole army was coming when we left!”

Lyssa and Jane exchanged looks and shot to their feet, grabbing their coats while the redhead lifted Aria out of her highchair and bundled her up once more in her jacket before loosely wrapping her blanket around her. Grabbing their purses, the two women ran out of the Diner behind Thor, Darcy and Erik following suit while exchanging exasperated looks.

Outside, Jane and Lyssa caught up to Thor as he walked across the road behind the Diner, several drivers narrowly avoiding hitting the man.

“Where are you going?” Jane asked, running up to him.

“50 miles west of here.” Thor replied, not stopping his stride.

“Why?” Lyssa asked, keeping a firm grip on Aria at her hip.

“To get what belongs to me.” Thor replied as the two women fell into step beside him.

“Oh, so you own a satellite now?” Jane asked, half sarcastic.

“I don’t think it’s a satellite.” Lyssa said thoughtfully as Darcy and Erik caught up to them.

“Lady Lyssa is correct.” Thor said, nodding. He shot Lyssa a curious look, wondering once again how she seemed to know so much about the Realms. “It’s not what they say it is.”

“Well, whatever it is, the government seems to think it’s theirs.” Jane pointed out.

“To be fair, they do that a lot.” Lyssa chirped, absently prying her hair out of Aria’s hands. “No Aria, Mummy’s hair is not for pulling.” She turned to Thor, looking up at the large man curiously. “Do you intend to simply walk in and take your property?”

“Yes.” Thor replied with a smile, glad that at least one of the mortals seemed to understand. He turned to Lyssa and looked at her curiously, noticing Jane, Darcy and Erik had stopped walking and were listening to them. “My Lady, how is it that you know so much of the Realms?”

“Let’s just say that there’s more to me than meets the eye.” Lyssa said softly, a small smile on her face.

Thor nodded, seeing that the young woman clearly didn’t want to elaborate and turned to Jane. He had noticed the dark-haired woman’s interest in the Bifrost and decided to take a page out of Loki’s book. “Lady Jane, if you or Lady Lyssa take me there now, I will tell you wish to know.” He offered.

“Everything?” Jane asked interestedly.

“Yes.” Thor promised. “All the answers you seek will be yours once I reclaim Mjølnir.”

“Myeu-muh?” Darcy repeated in confusion, messing up the pronunciation. “What’s Myeu-muh?”

“Myeu-muh.” Aria repeated.

“ _Mjølnir_.” Lyssa corrected only to get a baffled look from the intern and a bright grin from Aria. She sighed and shook her head. “Never mind.”

“Can I have a word Jane, Lyssa?” Erik asked, his tone brokering no argument as he stepped away. Lyssa and Jane exchanged looks and followed the older man to the side, Darcy joining them. “Girls, please don’t do this.”

“You saw what I saw last night.” Jane said softly, looking up at her mentor/ father figure excitedly. “This is no coincidence. We have to find out what’s in that crater.”

“We already know what’s in the crater.” Lyssa reminded her, pulling a toy out of her purse and handing it to Aria, letting the little girl play with something other than her hair. “Mjølnir, Thor’s hammer.”

“Myeu-muh.” Aria repeated with a grin.

“Girls, I’m not talking about the crater.” Erik said quietly, shaking his head. “I’m talking about _him_.” He nodded his head in Thor’s general direction.

“But he’s promising answers.” Jane argued.

“He’s delusional.” Erik said softly. “Listen to what he’s saying. He’s talking about Mjølnir and Thor and Bifrost. It’s the stories I grew up with as a child.”

Lyssa realized that while _she_ believed Thor and what he was saying about being the man from legend and myth, Erik clearly did not. If she were being honest with herself, while the realization hurt slightly, it didn’t surprise her all that much; the older man was a scientist, taught to observe and draw conclusions from facts. He didn’t have her ability to break the laws of physics on a daily basis in the form of magic and spellcasting.

“We’re just going to drive him, that’s it.” Jane said, her tone almost pleading.

“He’s dangerous, Jane, Lyssa.” Erik said, his own tone just as pleading as Jane’s was. “He’s too big a risk to have around Aria.”

Lyssa, who had been about to offer that _she_ takes Thor on her own, seeing as she could protect herself and had magic, froze at the reminder of the risk that the possibility of being wrong posed to Aria, her beloved child. While she could protect herself and actively use her magic, Aria was still small and couldn’t control her magic. She sighed and turned back to Thor, rejoining the taller man. “Thor, I’m sorry but we can’t take you to the site.” Lyssa said apologetically.

“I understand.” Thor told her reassuringly. “You are a mother, first and foremost. Thus, your thoughts must first be of your child than of a stranger.”

“Yes, it must.” Lyssa agreed, looking down at Aria in her arms.

Aria looked up at them and smiled brightly showing off her small, razor-sharp teeth. Thor smiled back, his blue eyes softening at the innocence the little girl seemed to portray despite the nightmares that had plagued her only a short time earlier.

“This is where we say goodbye.” Thor said.

“So it would seem.” Lyssa said. Thor reached out and gently took her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles and causing her to laugh lightly. “It’s been a while since anyone’s done that.”

“Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Darcy, farewell.” Thor said regally, turning to Erik, Darcy and Jane. He bowed slightly to them and Erik bowed back, his posture slightly clumsy as the two brunettes gave equally clumsy curtsies in response. He turned back to Lyssa, glancing at Aria hesitantly before asking, “Lady Lyssa, if you permit, may I grant a blessing upon your daughter?”

“You may.” Lyssa said, nodding.

Thor smiled and gently placed his large hand on Aria’s head, the toddler completely silent and watching with large eyes. “Brave child, may Odin bless you with all the knowledge and wisdom of the ages and may Frigga bestow love and happiness throughout your years.” Thor said softly, his voice filled with warmth and strength as he gazed at the small child in the beautiful woman’s arms with tenderness. He turned his gaze to Lyssa, taking note of her appearance and the strength that lay within the deceptively small woman. “My Lady, thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome.” Lyssa replied, smiling softly at him. “And thank you for your blessing.”

“All right.” Erik said, nodding at Thor. “Back to work. Come on, girls.”

The older scientist turned and walked away, the three women following after him. Aria looked back over Lyssa’s shoulder and waved at Thor, receiving a wave in return.

The small group turned the corner and stopped abruptly as a tow truck driver honked his horn at them. Noticing the items in the bed, Jane and Lyssa’s eyes widened in shock.

“Hey! That’s our stuff!” Jane cried as the truck drove off.

“Come on!” Lyssa called, running towards their residence. Jane quickly caught up with her, Darcy and Erik only a few steps behind as they reached the base and saw their equipment and research being piled into a large van by several men in black suits. Lyssa saw one of the men who seemed to be directing the rest. “Agent Coulson, what is going on here?” She asked coolly, drawing the man’s attention to them.

“Lady Lyssa, I’m here on behalf of SHIELD.” The man, Agent Coulson, said, moving towards them.

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Jane snapped, glaring at the man.

“Lyssa, you know this ass?” Darcy asked, gesturing to the agent.

“Language.” Lyssa chided automatically, shifting Aria from one arm to the other, perching her once again on her hip. “Anyway, they’re the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. An American extra-governmental military counter-terrorism and intelligence agency tasked with maintaining national and global security.” At the redhead’s explanation, all activity in the lab stopped as everyone stared at her. Noticing the looks, she rolled her eyes exasperatedly. “United Kingdom nobility, remember? I do know things that civilians don’t.”

“Whatever they are, they can’t do this!” Jane shouted angrily, glaring at the agents that continued to load the van.

“Jane!” Erik hissed, running after the irate scientist. He knew exactly who the agents were, on a slightly more personal level than Lyssa’s off-handed knowledge. “Jane, this is a lot more serious than you realize. Let it go.”

“Let it go.” Jane repeated in angry disbelief. She stepped around him and looked at the agents. “This is my life.”

“As Lady Lyssa said, we are tasked with maintaining national and global security and to that end, we are investigating a security threat.” Agent Coulson said, not at all fazed by the angry scientist. “We need to appropriate yours and Lady Lyssa’s records and all your atmospheric data.”

“I’m assuming ‘appropriate’ is SHIELD’s way of saying ‘steal’.” Lyssa said dryly, glaring coolly at the agents that were flitting around her lab and gathering all the data and equipment.

Lyssa’s seemingly calm exterior did not in any way mean that she wasn’t just as angry as her friend. However, where Jane was visibly expressing her anger, Lyssa was far more accustomed to being subtle with her expressions when it was needed. One didn’t grow up among Wizarding pureblood society without learning a few tricks, after all.

“Here.” Agent Coulson said, pulling a slip out of his suit pocket and handing it to Lyssa, evidently seeing the redhead as the one less likely to break his hand. Though that was probably more due to the toddler in her arms than out of any real desire to not do him any harm; his first meeting with the woman left Agent Barton with a broken nose and himself with a healthy fear of redheads mixed with respect for the redhead in question. “This should more than compensate you for your trouble.”

“This isn’t a matter of purchasing replacements at Radio Shack or a Mini Metro.” Lyssa snapped, taking the slip of paper and glaring up at the agent. “Most of this equipment was built by Jane and myself.”

“Then I’m sure you and Ms. Foster can do it again.” Agent Coulson said calmly, holding back the shiver at the ice-cold glare being aimed at him by the tiny redhead.

“And I’m sure we can sue you for violating our constitutional rights!” Jane snapped angrily.

Aria wriggled in Lyssa’s arms and she put her down on the ground. The little girl wasted no time in kicking Coulson in the shin and sticking her tongue out at him. “You mean!” Aria declared, a fierce look on her tiny, cherubic face.

“Aria!” Lyssa cried, torn between shock and amusement.

Darcy burst out into a fit of giggles that she hurriedly tried to repress. Failing spectacularly, she clamped her hands over her mouth to muffle the sound.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Foster, Dr. Potter, but we’re the good guys.” Agent Coulson said with a pained look on his face, holding his abused shin.

“So are we!” Jane cried desperately. “I’m on the verge of understanding something extraordinary. And everything I know about this phenomenon is either in this lab or in this book.” She held up her journal in explanation as she continued passionately, “And you can’t just take this away…” another agent strode up to Jane and tugged the book out of her grip, loading it into the van. “Hey!” Jane cried, reaching out and trying to grab the book back only for the agent to manhandle her away from the van.

“Jane! Easy!” Erik cried, reaching out and grabbing the brunette, pulling her away from the agent. “Easy.” Shooting a glare at the agent, the older man gently tugged the young woman back towards the lab. “Jane…”

“Thank you for your cooperation.” Agent Coulson said, nodding at the group of glaring and furious scientists; he wisely stayed out of reach of Aria’s tiny yet dangerous limbs, the little girl glaring at him just as fiercely as the adults were.

Darcy put a comforting hand on Jane’s arm while Lyssa picked Aria up and held her in her arms. The small group of friends watched the agents drive off, the desert dust rising in their wake.

~*~

A short time later, Lyssa, Erik, Jane and Darcy sat on the roof of the building, their legs dangling over the side. Aria sat between Jane and Lyssa, the redhead keeping a firm hold around the toddler’s waist.

“Years of research, gone.” Jane said mournfully.

“They even took my iPod.” Darcy said sadly.

“Mean.” Aria declared, her expression a cross between a glare and a pout as she crossed her arms over her chest. She had her blanket draped over her shoulders, holding the corners in place with her hands.

“Yes, my darling, they were quite rude with their behavior.” Lyssa agreed, pressing a kiss to her head.

“What about the backups?” Erik asked.

“They took the backups as well.” Lyssa replied, having already checked for them as soon as the agents had left. “And they took the backups of the backups. They were quite thorough. Honestly, I would be impressed if I weren’t so frustrated and annoyed.”

“I just downloaded, like, 30 songs onto there.” Darcy moaned, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Could you please stop with your iPod?” Jane snapped, irritated. “Who are these people, Lyssa?”

“Truthfully, all I know is what their mandate is.” Lyssa admitted, absently prying her hair out of Aria’s grip. She held her wrist out to her, letting her play with her bracelet instead. “And that too is only because of my family’s standing back in England. I’ve met a few of their agents over the years, but I haven’t had extensive contact with them. And the few times we met, there were other things happening that didn’t really leave time for in-depth conversations.” Lyssa said sheepishly.

“I knew this scientist.” Erik said quietly, drawing the women’s attention to him. “The pioneer in Gamma Radiation. SHIELD showed up and, um, he wasn’t heard from again.”

“They’re not going to do that to us.” Jane said fiercely. “I’m gonna get everything back.”

“I’m all for that plan, but how exactly do you intend to do so?” Lyssa asked, looking at her friend curiously. While she could be as impulsive as Jane was, if not more so when the situation demanded it, Lyssa was also far more capable of thinking ahead than the older woman was. Whether it was because of her upbringing among the United Kingdom's upper crust or if it was due to having custody of Aria, Erik didn’t know, but in that moment, he just prayed that the young redhead would remain level headed in the face of Jane’s impulsiveness.

“I’m not entirely sure.” Jane admitted. “But I will.”

“Jane, please.” Erik pleaded softly. “Let me contact one of my colleagues. He’s had some dealings with these people before. I’ll email him and maybe he can help.”

“Erik, they took your laptop as well.” Lyssa said gently.

Erik looked at her in disbelief before letting out a groan.

“Sowwy, Gyanpa.” Aria said softly, looking up at the older man sadly.

“Me too, kiddo, me too.” Erik said, looking at Aria but aiming his words at Jane and Lyssa. “Lyssa, can I ask you something?”

“Absolutely, what is it?” Lyssa asked, looking curiously at her friend and mentor.

“Why do you believe what Thor said? About the Bifrost and Mjølnir?”

“Because I know it’s true.” Lyssa replied simply. Seeing the disbelieving and confused looks her friends were giving her, she continued, “I’m a witch, a real witch with magic.”

“You’re kidding.” Jane said disbelievingly.

“Nope.” Lyssa said, shaking her head and not at all fazed by the disbelief shown to her by her friends. “Let me show you.”

She pulled her wand out from its disillusioned holster on her arm, a seemingly innocuous piece of wood. It was made with a blend of holly, cherry and rowan wood that created a rather beautiful marble pattern and was 13” in length. At its core, she had another blend, this time of unicorn tail hair, dragon heartstring and a phoenix tail feather. Her wand was one of a kind, specially made by Ollivander, the Wandmaker in Diagon Alley, Britain’s Magical Shopping District, when she had all but destroyed at least half of his premade wands in her attempts to find one that chooses her; even in the rare times someone else got their hands on her wand, they were never able to use it, not even to create sparks which was one of the few things that could be done with a wand not your own. Similarly, she could never use anyone else’s wand, though she had never learned that through trial and error, rather by the adamant warning given to her by the Wandmaker and a little common sense. 

Lyssa waved it around them, causing the air to ripple slightly as her ward took effect.

“What was that?” Darcy asked curiously, seeing a faint ripple in the air.

“That was a privacy ward.” Lyssa explained. “Basically, it’ll make any unfriendly eyes see only what I want them to see; in this case, it would be me showing you a seemingly harmless piece of wood.” She looked at her friends and smiled brightly. “Now, I will show you some real magic.”

She got to her feet, carefully passing Aria over to Darcy to hold while tucking her wand away into the holster and took several steps back so she was away from the edge of the roof. With a bright smile at her friends, she changed forms, going from a human woman to a sleek bobcat. 

“Oh, my God!” Erik, Jane and Darcy cried in shocked unison, all three shooting to their feet and staring at the bobcat that had been their friend a few seconds earlier.

The feline’s fur was a dark red almost black with pitch black spots covering its body and its eyes were a beautiful moonlit silver, the same color as Lyssa’s hair and eyes. On its forehead, between the eyebrows was a silvery gold crescent moon that stood out starkly against the dark fur.

“Luna!” Aria exclaimed delightedly, clapping her hands happily and reaching out to the feline.

Darcy tightened her hold on the wriggling girl, not moving her gaze from the feline that had once been her friend. The cat stretched lazily before it changed back into Lyssa, the young woman looking at them apprehensively, worried about their reactions.

“Wha-What was…” Erik stammered, staring at her in disbelief. “Lyssa, what was that?!”

“That was my Animagus form.” Lyssa replied, taking Aria from Darcy and resuming her previous seat at the edge of the roof, setting the little girl down next to her. Slowly, Darcy, Erik and Jane sat back down as well, staring at her with open-mouthed shock. “One of them, at least. An Animagi is a witch or wizard who can turn into an animal at will, with neither a wand nor incantation. The animal is the one that most closely suits the witch or wizard in personality and behavior.”

Lyssa was a rare kind of Animagus in that she could change into _any_ animal she so desired, be it real or mythical so long as she knew what form to imagine when transforming. She was a Multimagus. However, she had one form that was her primary form, the one that suited her best and whose traits were adapted to her even while in human form – a bobcat. Lyssa was an attentive and loyal friend as well as a great listener. Because of this, others, be they strangers or friends, trusted her to keep their secrets. For the most part, she was usually a calm and collected person, but had a fearsome temper when it was provoked, often when her loved ones or innocent people were in danger.

“Why did Aria call you ‘Luna’?” Jane asked curiously, moving passed the shock of what she had seen with quite remarkable ease.

“It’s my nickname.” Lyssa replied. “It comes from the moonlit silver color of my eyes as well as my crescent moon birthmark.”

“Can everyone turn into animals?” Erik asked, the scientist in him eager to learn something new.

“No.” Lyssa replied, shaking her head. “It takes a lot of power and skill to complete the transformation, the process an incredibly lengthy and dangerous one. It isn’t just a matter of changing into any particular animal; in fact, it’s the animal that chooses the human. And once you know what your animal is, you need to know everything about it: the exact color, the shape, the size, the weight, its’ dietary needs and requirements, its’ predatory nature if it has one, among at least a hundred other details.”

“Wow.” Darcy breathed, her eyes wide at the amount of work that went into the change.

“But, Lyssa, why didn’t you tell us?” Jane asked, her tone filled with hurt at her best friend keeping something so big from her.

“Honestly, because I walked away from it all for good when James and Lily had been killed.” Lyssa said quietly, her eyes filled with sorrow. “I had left after I graduated school because I wanted to be more than a typical pureblood witch who became nothing more than a trophy wife to some pompous Pureblood wizard. I wanted to live my life the way _I_ wanted to, not as dictated to me by society, I wanted to learn and explore. But when my parents died…” The tears that welled in her eyes dripped down her face, only to be hurriedly wiped away. Aria, sensing her mother’s distress, climbed into her lap and wrapped her arms around her. “When Mum and Dad died, I returned to England and took my place as the Head of House Potter until James graduated school and accepted the mantle in my stead.” She chuckled dryly, her tears momentarily stemmed. “I just about caused the Wizengamot to have a conniption when I passed the mantle of Head of House to James. Though he was the male Heir, he was younger than me and as such wasn’t in direct line to inherit the Lordship; I was, as the eldest. The Lord, or Ladyship, titles are highly coveted positions; they granted the bearer incredible political and monetary power and my passing it to James was completely unheard of.” She looked down at Aria, running a gentle hand through her thick hair. “And I went a step further, I made it so that any children James had would be in direct line to inherit, regardless if I had children before he did.” She smiled sadly. “I guess it doesn’t matter now, Aria is the eldest of her generation of Potters.”

“Okay, no offence, but it sounds like that world is completely backwards.” Darcy said in her trademark bluntness.

“You have no idea.” Lyssa said, giggling lightly.

All too soon, her giggles became full blown laughter, the musical sound echoing on the wind as Aria joined in as well.

For several minutes, Lyssa could only laugh gaily at the description of the Wizarding World while Darcy, Erik and Jane watched her. While the three were confused at the amusement, each was happy that their dear friend was expressing an emotion other than her sorrow and anguish. Aria meanwhile was only laughing because her mother was, unexplainably happy that she was no longer sad and that her light was once again shining brightly.

“What about using the library computer to send the email?” Lyssa suggested after several minutes, her laughter slowly fading away. “It may not be overly secure, but surely you would be able to send a message?”

“That could work.” Erik said, nodding thoughtfully.

“Great, I can take you.” Lyssa said, already getting to her feet and lifting Aria into her arms.

“I’ll go with you.” Jane said, getting to her feet. “I need to get out for a bit or I’m gonna lose my mind.”

“And I’ll stay here.” Darcy said, blowing a tendril of hair out of her face. She glanced down at the mess that was in the lab that had been left by the SHIELD agents. “Get started on cleaning up this mess.” She looked over at Lyssa, a curious expression on her face. “Hey, do you think you can use magic to clean up?”

“Maybe.” Lyssa said cheekily, grinning at Darcy.

“You can do it later.” Erik said, getting to his feet. “First, let me send that email.”

Lyssa nodded and the small group carefully made their way down from the roof, the young redhead absently canceling the privacy ward at the same time.


	5. The Hammer

**Chapter 4: The Hammer**

In town, Lyssa and Jane sat in the van outside the library, waiting for Erik to send the email to his colleague. The two women were silent, Jane mulling over her lost research while Lyssa kept an eye on Aria through the rearview mirror, the baby playing with a few toys in her car seat and babbling away to herself without a care in the world.

“Jane, we’ll get through this.” Lyssa said gently, glancing at Jane through the rearview mirror. “We’ll get our research back.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Jane said with a quiet sigh. She glanced at Lyssa for a moment, managing to shoot her a small smile before turning her gaze out the window, watching the slow bustle of the town they resided in. “Hey, is that Thor?” She asked, pointing to a distinctly familiar figure walking along the street across from them.

Lyssa followed her line of sight and saw the man Jane was referring to. “I think it is.” Lyssa said, watching as he entered the pet shop. She looked at Jane through the rearview mirror, seeing the contemplating glint in her pretty brown eyes. “You’re not about to suggest what I think you’re about to suggest, are you?” Lyssa asked nervously.

“That depends, what do you think I’m about to suggest?” Jane asked, a small smirk playing about her lips.

Lyssa looked at the stubborn older woman for a moment before sighing in defeat; Jane was a lot like Lyssa herself was – more stubborn than a mule. There was no talking Jane out of her crazy idea. “Fine.” Lyssa said, straightening in her seat and starting the engine. “But if Erik gets angry, I’m blaming you.”

“Duly noted.” Jane said with a nod, checking Aria’s seatbelt and buckling her own.

Lyssa pursed her lips and began driving, going only a few feet before stopping. She honked her horn to get Thor’s attention and when the man turned to face the sound, she opened her window. “Do you still need a lift?” She asked.

Thor immediately walked out of the shop and crossed the road, walking around the front of the van before climbing into the front passenger seat next to Lyssa. Once he was buckled in, Lyssa helping him since he had no idea how to, she started the engine once more and began driving down the road.

Jane repeatedly glanced at Thor out of the corner of her eye, trying to be discreet while passing her actions off as playing with Aria. The little girl provided a running commentary of everything she could see through the tinted windows, uncaring that no one could understand her.

“My Lady, how old is your daughter?” Thor asked, looking at Lyssa and breaking through Aria’s babbling.

“22 months.” Lyssa replied, glancing at Thor briefly with a smile before turning her attention back to the road. “She’ll be 2 in July.”

“I see.” Thor said, nodding. “And she was first your niece?”

“Yes, my younger brother’s daughter. James and his wife were murdered last year, and I got custody of Aria.” Lyssa said, studiously keeping her focus on the road so she didn’t tear up at the memory of the previous Halloween that had sent her entire world into a tailspin.

“There is more to your tale.” Thor said knowingly, looking at her with a piercing gaze.

“Yes, there is.” Lyssa acknowledged, not bothering to lie. She glanced at Jane through the rearview mirror. “How are you doing, Jane?” She asked the older woman.

“I’m good.” Jane replied with a slightly high-pitched voice.

“You sure?” Lyssa asked skeptically, completely unconvinced.

“Yeah.” Jane replied with the same high-pitched squeak, nodding fervently.

Lyssa glanced at Thor, noticing his raised eyebrows and amused smile. “Jane’s never done anything like this before.” She explained helpfully.

Thor nodded in understanding, remembering how it had been the first time he had done anything of the sort and how tense he had been.

“Have you ever done anything like this before?” Jane asked, leaning forward in her seat and looking at Thor, her voice no longer overly high pitched.

“Many times.” Thor replied with a grin. He looked at Lyssa curiously, noticing that she hadn’t included herself in her explanation of Jane’s behavior. “And yourself, Lady Lyssa?”

“Nothing like this in particular, but I’ve done my fair share of crazy things.” Lyssa replied with a light laugh.

“But you are brave to do it, Lady Jane.” Thor said, turning to look at Jane and smiling gently at her.

“Well, they just stole my entire life’s work.” Jane muttered furiously, her temper rising once more and only tempered by Aria’s grip on her fingers as she played with them. While it had also been Lyssa’s research that had been stolen, Jane had been the one who started it in the first place and had later approached the redhead with her theories before both women then approached Erik. “I don’t really have much left to lose.”

“Yeah, but you and Lady Lyssa are both clever.” Thor remarked thoughtfully. “Far more clever than anyone else in this Realm.” He added with a slight scoff, thinking about the mortals that resided on Earth.

“‘Realm’?” Jane repeated. “‘Realm’?”

“You think me strange.” Thor commented knowingly, glancing at Jane.

“Yeah, I do.” Jane admitted.

“But you, Lady Lyssa, do not.” Thor said, turning to Lyssa.

“Not in the least.” Lyssa said bluntly, looking at him and shaking her head.

The van suddenly skidded, and the tires screeched as they nearly went off road in Lyssa’s split moment of distraction. Lyssa frantically regained control of the wheel and seconds later they resumed their smooth drive along the dirt road. Lyssa, Thor and Jane exchanged looks and began laughing, Aria’s own peals of laughter mixing in.

“I’m sorry.” Lyssa said, her laughter slowing before fading completely. She glanced at Aria through the rearview mirror, the toddler still laughing delightedly to herself and playing with her toys happily. “Jane, can you give Aria her bottle, please? It’s in her bag.”

"Sure.” Jane replied, pulling the mentioned bottle of milk out of the diaper bag. “You wanna have some milk, Aria?” She asked the toddler, holding the bottle out to her.

“Yeth, p’eas’.” Aria replied, beaming happily and reaching out for the bottle. Jane watched her carefully as she latched onto the end and began suckling away in content.

“Is she okay?” Lyssa asked, glancing at Jane through the rearview mirror with a worried look crossing her face.

“She’s okay, Lyssa, don’t worry.” Jane said reassuringly.

“I’m a Mum, Jane. It’s my job to worry.” Lyssa said dryly, turning her focus back to the road.

“Fair enough.” Jane said, deciding not to argue with the redhead. Truthfully, she didn’t have much of a basis to argue with. Lyssa had been through so much in so little time that no one who knew her could blame her for worrying.

Thor watched Lyssa out of the corner of his eye, seeing the slight lines of worry creasing her brow and the tightness of her grip on the wheel that controlled the vehicle they were in. He had noticed from early on that the woman had the bearing of living through war and the mark it left on her; perhaps not any physical ones, but certainly the emotional ones that were only noticeable if one knew what to look for.

Not for the first time, he was struck by how strong the tiny woman was, holding herself up high when it seemed like the Universe was trying its very best to crush her.

“But who are you?” Jane asked, drawing Thor out of his thoughts. He turned his attention to her. “Really?”

“You’ll see soon enough.” Thor said after a moment’s pause, deciding that showing her would be much easier than explaining it.

“You promised us answers.” Jane said in irritation, taking the response to be a brush off.

“Jane, he didn’t mean to brush you off.” Lyssa said soothingly. “I’m sure it’s just one of those things that are much easier to show than explain.”

“In a way.” Thor said, nodding in agreement. “But I will try my best to explain.” He turned slightly in his seat and looked at Jane. “What you seek, it’s a bridge.” He explained.

“Like an Einstein-Rosen Bridge?” Jane asked hopefully.

“More like a Rainbow Bridge.” Thor corrected.

“The Bifrost Bridge!” Lyssa exclaimed in realization. “ _That’s_ what it was last night, that vortex of clouds.”

“Indeed.” Thor said, nodding.

“God, I hope you’re not crazy.” Jane muttered, shaking her head.

Lyssa giggled at the comment and it soon turned to full blown laughter. Thor joined in, his deep baritone mixing in with her soprano sound.

Jane watched the pair of them, absently holding Aria’s bottle up when her grip slipped as she began dozing off. She was struck by how the sound of their laughter blended so harmoniously and remembered the way Thor had watched Lyssa, the look of amazement in his eyes that went beyond just knowing of the strength and fortitude the young woman possessed. Where earlier that day Thor had been working his way up towards besotted and smitten, he was now beginning to respect Lyssa for having the courage to remain strong in the face of all that she had been through.

A pang shot through her, a mix of sadness and jealousy that Jane roughly and adamantly pushed aside just as she had before. She couldn’t blame Lyssa for something she wasn’t even aware of nor could she blame Thor for something that most people who encountered the young woman couldn’t help but feel. And of their small makeshift family, Lyssa deserved whatever happiness she could find.

Slowly, Lyssa and Thor stopped laughing and the woman focused on the road once more. Thor watched her curiously, unaware of Jane watching his actions.

“That mark of the crescent moon on your forehead, what is it?” Thor asked curiously after several moments of silence.

“My birthmark.” Lyssa replied.

“I see.” He said, nodding. He was silent for several minutes before asking another question, this time about Lyssa herself and about some of the crazy things she said that she had done in her life.

Lyssa laughed and replied along the lines of having the Marauders as brothers being the main reason for her wild youth.

The two fell into a back and forth conversation, ending up playing 20 Questions without even realizing it. All the while, Jane watched their interactions with a small, sad smile on her face, seeing the light shine in Lyssa’s eyes for the first time in almost 6 months.

Eventually, the two stopped their mutual questioning as night fell and they reached the crater that they had been told about. A portable facility was constructed around it in a maze of stark white and clear corridors and the entire area was lit by massive flood lights. It was filled with scientists and guards, the latter all heavily armed but there was no doubt that even the scientists had some form of combat training that made them more than just ‘lab nerds’.

Thunder crashed overhead, the clouds rolling across the night sky and heralding the pending arrival of a storm as Thor, Lyssa and Jane climbed out of the van. Thor lifted Aria out of her car seat and helped Lyssa bundle her up in her blanket, the toddler wide awake and alert after her brief nap.

“That’s no satellite crash!” Jane hissed, lying flat on a boulder and looking out at the facility through a pair of binoculars. “They would have hauled the wreckage away; they wouldn’t have built a city around it.”

“I told you before, it was very unlikely that it _was_ a satellite crash.” Lyssa said, settling beside Jane. The redhead looked through a pair of her own binoculars, holding Aria firmly in place between them both with her other hand.

“You’re going to need this.” Thor said, removing his jacket and carefully draping it over both women and Aria.

“What?” Jane asked, looking at him curiously while Lyssa made sure Aria was properly bundled in her blanket and covered by the jacket. Lyssa silently cast an undetectable Extension Charm on it so that it could cover all three of them. “Wait, why?” Jane asked.

Thunder rumbled overhead and they all looked up at the sky. Thor grinned at the sound.

“I’m guessing that’s why.” Lyssa said calmly.

“Now stay here.” Thor said, looking at both women. “Once I have Mjølnir, I will return the items they have stolen from you. Deal?”

“No.” Jane said firmly, shaking her head. “Look what’s down there. You think you’re just going to walk in, grab our stuff and walk out?”

“I think he’s going to fly out.” Lyssa threw in helpfully.

“Indeed, I will.” Thor said, quietly standing up.

Jane watched him go incredulously while Lyssa quietly prayed that his plan would work. There was a part of her that didn’t think it would. Something about the way he had landed on Earth and the little he had revealed about the events leading up to his banishment made her believe that there was something he needed to _learn_ before he could reclaim his powers. If his arrogant attitude was anything to go by, she was willing to bet that he needed to learn humility and compassion for others in order to pass this test.

Sighing softly and pushing her less than favorable thoughts aside, she watched Thor approach the facility through her binoculars. The golden-haired man cut the wire, slipped through and hid behind a few barrels. A patrol of guards drove up to the gap in the fence and just as they stopped the jeep, Thor slipped out from his hiding spot and knocked each of them out with a swift blow to the face.

Jane and Lyssa exchanged looks while Aria clapped delightedly at the sight of the friendly golden-haired man still standing. Thor grabbed a raincoat from the back of the jeep and slipped it on, lifting the hood over his head to cover his striking features. For several seconds, all they could see was Thor’s figure flitting in and out of sight as he snuck his way towards the facility itself.

Suddenly, klaxon alarms began blaring, filling the air with the warning sounds. Aria, startled by the loud noise, began crying though thankfully the sound wasn’t heard over the noise of the alarms.

“Shh, it’s okay, my darling.” Lyssa cooed, rubbing Aria’s back soothingly. “Everything’s okay.”

Indistinct voices began filling the air as the guards went on alert. The scientists also went on alert, keeping their own weapons in reach while they continued their assigned tasks.

Jane gasped and pulled out her phone, frantically dialing a number from memory.

 _“You’ve reached Dr. Erik Selvig. Please leave me a message.”_ Erik’s preprogrammed voice recited on the messaging system.

“Hi, Erik, it’s me.” Jane said quietly. “Don’t worry, I’m fine and so are Aria and Lyssa. But just in case you don’t hear from any of us in the next hour, just come by the crater site and try and find us, okay?”

“That’s because we did precisely what you had asked us _not_ to do.” Lyssa added, rubbing Aria’s back soothingly. She had stopped crying but was gripping her blanket and Lyssa’s shirt tightly with clenched fists. “I am very sorry for disobeying you.”

“I’m sorry, too.” Jane said weakly, speaking to Erik and to Lyssa. Lyssa nodded in acceptance, knowing that she didn’t really have much ground to stand on since she could have easily told Jane to carry out her crazy idea on her own. “So sorry.” Jane continued into the phone. “Bye.” She hung up the phone and tucked it back into her pocket. She turned back to her previous position, joining Lyssa and Aria as they watched Thor duck past the guards. 

Thunder crashed above them. Lyssa winced, rubbing her ears as the sound of a high-pitched hum reached her followed by a slowly increasing wave of magic. 

“Lyssa?” Jane asked, looking at her worriedly. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Lyssa said, smiling reassuringly at the older woman.

The humming sound stopped, though Lyssa could still feel the magic in the air and a torrent of rain poured down on them without warning. Lyssa and Jane quickly lifted the jacket over their heads, Aria between them and protected from the sudden shower. They watched as Thor ran across the grounds and entered the tunnel.

“Oh no.” Lyssa said worriedly, seeing the guards’ movements.

“What is it?” Jane asked.

“The guards know he’s in the facility.” Lyssa said with a frown, not looking away from the scene below.

“Can’t you use your magic?” Jane asked.

“No.” Lyssa replied helplessly, shaking her head. “Not without knowing what kind of magic Mjølnir channels; it’s already releasing a wave of magic, which I’m assuming is interfering with their equipment. If I go in and start casting haphazardly, I might just blow New Mexico off the face of the planet with the clash of differing magics. And that is if I’m lucky.”

“ _That_ is lucky?” Jane asked incredulously. “On second thought, scratch my idea.”

“Mhmm.” Lyssa hummed dryly.

They turned their focus back to the facility, watching as the guards ran inside and tried to converge on Thor. It was evident that all the guards were being defeated by him as he ploughed his way through the maze of corridors towards Mjølnir that resided in the middle of the compound. Lyssa noticed one guard climb into a portable lift with his weapon, which looked to be a compound bow, while Thor himself ended up thrown out of the corridor through the plastic wall and onto the muddy ground outside as he grappled with another guard.

Thor and the guard fought while the man in the lift, whom Lyssa recognized as Agent Barton, codenamed ‘Hawkeye’, notched his bow and aimed his arrow at them. It was clear that he was waiting for orders to fire as well as for a clear shot so as not to accidentally shoot his colleague. But Lyssa had a feeling that Agent Barton was skilled enough to hit his target without seriously hurting his colleague even if the latter was in the way of the shot.

Finally, Thor managed to aim a particularly good kick at the guard and knock him out. He walked purposefully towards the facility that housed his weapon and pulled apart the clouded plastic that stood in his way. Lyssa could see Barton aiming his bow at the blond, waiting for the order to release the notched arrow.

“Come on, Thor.” Lyssa muttered under her breath, watching him enter through the hole he had made. “Before they shoot at you.” Not for the first time in the past few minutes she wished she could safely use her magic to at least cast a shielding spell over Thor to protect him as much as possible from the guards and their weapons, but she knew she couldn’t risk it.

The two brilliant women waited with bated breath, watching Thor’s shadowed figure through the plastic sheet reach out and grasp the handle of the hammer. The man tugged at the hammer, struggling to lift it.

“He can’t lift it.” Lyssa said solemnly, her brow furrowed.

“What d’you mean?” Jane asked, confused.

“Look, he’s struggling to lift it.” Lyssa explained, pointing out Thor’s shadowed figure behind the plastic sheets where he was fruitlessly tugging at the hammer.

A loud anguished scream pierced the air, drawing the two women’s attention. Aria, becoming startled, clutched Lyssa’s arm but thankfully remained silent while the two women sadly looked at Thor’s shadowed figure. The man was facing upwards, screaming his despair to the heavens as though his father may hear him.

_“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.”_

Lyssa looked up at the sound of the whispered voice, the same as the one she had heard the previous night even if the words were different. It echoed on the air, heard by the witch despite the unrelenting downpour of rain that prevented anyone else from hearing it, even if they were inclined to do so.

The redheaded witch sighed softly, absently rubbing Aria’s back; her earlier suspicion that Thor had something to learn was proven correct. Until he was once again deemed worthy by the enchantment placed on Mjølnir, he would never be able to lift it or regain his powers. A tear of sympathy fell from Lyssa’s eye and rolled down her cheek, silently falling into the dirt as Thor fell to his knees in despair.

For a single second, no one moved. Then, when the order came from presumably the ranking agent, Barton lowered his weapon and the guard units converged into the pit where Thor sat dejectedly in front of his hammer. They collected, handcuffed and led Thor away, the man completely silent and unresisting.

“We should go.” Jane said quietly, voice filled with unease.

Lyssa nodded and the two women carefully got to their feet, Lyssa gathering Aria into her arms while making sure she remained covered against the rain. After glancing around and casting a silent spell to erase any evidence of their presence, they carefully began walking down the small slope and back towards the van.

“Mama, what ‘bout Thow?” The little girl asked, looking up at Lyssa with large, innocent green eyes.

“I don’t know, baby, I don’t know.” Lyssa replied honestly, running a hand through the girl’s raven locks.

They soon reached the van and Jane unlocked it, climbing into the passenger side while Lyssa buckled Aria into her car seat and gave her bottle to her. She closed the door and looked up towards the sky that was slowly stopping its downpour. If the legends were anything to go by, then Heimdall had the ability to see everything that occurred in the universe.

“Heimdall, I don’t know if you can see or hear me, I don’t know how much of the stories about you all are true, but I will get Thor back.” Lyssa vowed determinedly. “Someway, somehow, I _will_ get him back. I know it may not mean much, especially since you probably have no idea who I am, but Heimdall, if you can see or hear me, I promise I will. And I’ll look after him and protect him until he learns whatever it is that he’s supposed to learn, until he is once again worthy of wielding Mjølnir.”

With determination swirling deep within her moonlit silver eyes, she climbed into the driver’s side of the van and turned on the engine, beginning the drive back into town.


	6. Interlude – The Gatekeeper’s Thoughts

**Interlude – The Gatekeeper’s Thoughts**

Heimdall watched his prince’s failed attempt at retrieving Mjølnir, his heart filled with sorrow and sympathy for Asgard’s Royal Family. His king had fallen into the Odinsleep, his queen continued to stay by his side while Loki had taken over the responsibility of ruling until such time that Odin would awake,  _ if _ he awoke. They were unprepared for the Odinsleep this time and there was no telling when or if the king would wake.

“Heimdall…” A soft voice said, breaking through his introspection. He focused his gaze on the call, finding a young woman on Midgard looking up at the sky with determination swirling within the depths of her moonlit silver eyes. He couldn’t help but notice that she possessed the otherworldly beauty of the immortal beings, which he had never seen in a mortal before. “I don’t know if you can see or hear me, I don’t know how much of the stories about you all are true, but I will get Thor back.” She vowed determinedly. Heimdall saw Thor seated on a lone chair in the center of a white room deep within the facility erected around Mjølnir. “Someway, somehow, I  _ will _ get him back. I know it may not mean much, especially since you probably have no idea who I am, but Heimdall, if you can see or hear me, I promise I will. And I’ll look after him and protect him until he learns whatever it is that he’s supposed to learn, until he is once again worthy of wielding Mjølnir.”

Heimdall frowned slightly, taking note of the pale silvery gold crescent moon on the young woman’s forehead. It was a curious birthmark, none on Midgard ever having been born with such a mark. In fact, only one soul had ever been born with it, in each of her lives – Anera. However, aside from the mark of the crescent moon and the moonlit silver eyes, this woman didn’t bear many other physical resemblances to Anera. The one other aspect she shared with the deceased Light Elf was the power that swirled deep within her.

_ ‘Could it be?’ _ He wondered.  _ ‘Could this young woman truly be _ her _? Could she have been reborn on Midgard this time?’ _ He frowned thoughtfully.  _ ‘But why? If this is indeed Anera, why was she born on Midgard and not one of the other Realms as she previously had been?’ _ A seed of hope bloomed within his heart; a glimmer felt for the first time in so many years.  _ ‘Could this mean the curse will finally be broken?’ _

Heimdall closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, pushing his thoughts aside. He had no way to know for sure and these thoughts wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Thor and Loki who had both loved Anera deeply, albeit in different ways. Nor would they help Alfheim’s ruling family who had only just begun to try moving on from the loss of their eldest child. It would do no one any good to speculate and hope when there was no way of knowing for certain; they had already paid the price of blind faith when they believed that the curse had been broken during Anera’s most recent life until she had been killed in battle on the eve of her and Thor’s wedding. Her death had sent Thor into a deep and uncontrollable rage, known as the Crown’s Madness. He had laid waste to half the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf before Odin had succeeded in subduing him. Moments after being subdued, he finally lost consciousness due to his injuries and exhaustion.

With these thoughts playing on his mind, Heimdall vowed to keep his suspicions to himself until he knew for certain. And so, he focused his gaze once more on the young human woman and watched as she and her companion reached their destination and climbed out of their strange carriage.


	7. The Stories

**Chapter 5: The Stories**

“He committed a crime.” Erik said adamantly. “He’s in jail!”

Lyssa and Jane stood in front of him in the lab area of their research base, Darcy sitting opposite Erik at the table while Aria was asleep in her crib. As soon as the two women returned to town, they wasted no time in informing Erik and Darcy of what had occurred and their desire to rescue Thor.

“We can’t leave him there, Erik!” Lyssa said determinedly.

“Why?” Erik asked, piercing the redhead with a penetrating look.

“Because he doesn’t deserve to be locked up on a strange world when he’s already been cast out of his home.” Lyssa said softly, her gaze filled with earnest compassion and sympathy for a man who had been exiled away from all that he knew and loved.

“And you didn’t  _ see _ what we saw!” Jane added.

Darcy gasped. “Look!” She said, drawing the arguing trio’s attention and pointing to a page in the book she was perusing. “Look, it’s Myeu-muh.”

_ “Mjølnir _ . _ ” _ Lyssa corrected automatically.

“Where’d you find this?” Jane asked Erik, looking at the book and the page Darcy pointed out.

“The children’s section.” Erik replied, shifting slightly in his chair. “I-I just wanted to show you girls how silly his story was.”

“But you’re the one who’s always pushing us to chase down every possibility, every alternative!” Jane argued.

“I’m talking about science, not magic!” Erik snapped in frustration. “No offence, Lyssa.” He added, glancing at the witch and remembering her revelation earlier that day.

“None taken.” She muttered dryly before becoming serious. “Erik, you were the one that taught me that magic can easily be explained as science that just hasn’t been understood yet.”

“Arthur C. Clarke.” Jane added helpfully.

“Who wrote science  _ fiction _ .” Erik argued.

“Which is in fact a precursor to science  _ fact _ .” Lyssa pointed out.

“In some cases, yeah.” Erik admitted reluctantly.

“Well, if there is an Einstein-Rosen Bridge-” Jane began.

“Which there is. It’s called the Bifrost, or Rainbow, Bridge.” Lyssa threw in.

“Then there’s something on the other side.” Jane continued, nodding at Lyssa’s input. “And advanced beings could have crossed it!”

“Which they have.” Lyssa threw in again.

“Girls.” Erik sighed tiredly.

“A primitive culture like the Vikings might have worshiped them as deities.” Darcy added slightly hesitantly.

“Wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened.” Lyssa added in agreement. “Thank you.” She said, glancing at Darcy.

“Mmm-hmm.” Darcy nodded happily.

Jane, Darcy and Lyssa looked at Erik, each with pointed expressions. Erik sighed in defeat, knowing that he had lost the argument.

~*~

Lyssa hummed softly, running her hand over Aria’s back and soothing her back to sleep when she began whimpering. Jane sat on the opposite side of the bed; the Mythology book Erik had gotten from the library was propped open on her knees as she soaked in the printed words. Both women were dressed in their pajamas, Lyssa in a purple tank top and a pair of plaid pink, blue and purple patterned sleep pants* while Jane was in a white tank top under a plaid button down and a pair of black sleep pants. Similarly, Aria had been put in a red sleeper with a Gryffindor lion patterned on the chest.

Not pausing her ministrations or her humming, Lyssa wondered where Erik was and if he had been able to get Thor. It had been almost two hours since the older man had left to try and get the exiled prince back and she was beginning to feel uneasy. It shouldn’t have taken this long for Erik to convince SHIELD of the backstory they had come up with, even if the agency would be able to tell that the records that were created had been falsified.

“He’ll be okay, Lyssa.” Jane said reassuringly, looking at the younger woman from over the top of her book.

“I know that.” Lyssa said firmly, untying her hair. She looked at Aria, taking in the way the little girl was curled on her side and gripping her blanket tightly with both hands while still snuggly wrapped inside it. “It’s just… during the war, it was never a good thing if people were gone for too long.” She shook her head and sighed, turning her pale-eyed gaze back to Jane. “That saying, ‘no news is good news’ was more along the lines of ‘no news is very bad news’.”

Jane looked at her best friend sympathetically, reaching out and rubbing her leg comfortingly. She stayed silent, not having anything  _ to _ say, but kept her hand on the younger woman’s leg while returning to her book.

Seeing Jane’s silent action of comfort and sympathy, Lyssa couldn’t help but feel blessed at the friends she had made after leaving the Wizarding World. Despite these Muggles having been unaware of Magic until earlier that day, they had accepted her with all her strangeness and idiosyncrasies without question. She caught the older woman’s eye and shot her a grateful look, trying to convey what she could not express with words.

“I know.” Jane said softly, glancing at her before returning to her book, her hand still on Lyssa’s leg.

Lyssa reached over the side of the bed and grabbed her brush from her toiletry bag, sighing tiredly and began the arduous task of combing her long, thick hair before she went to sleep; she had long since learned that if she didn’t at least brush out her hair before sleeping, she was in for a world of agony the next day with a head full of tangles. As she rhythmically ran her brush through the thick strands, she continued humming softly to keep a slightly restless Aria calm. The little girl, though fast asleep, was still able to pick up on Lyssa’s worry which was, in turn, affecting her sleep.

The silence that had fallen over them was broken quite abruptly by the rapid pounding on the door. Aria, Lyssa and Jane all started, the toddler whimpering as her sleep became disrupted.

“Shh. It’s okay.” Lyssa said soothingly, running her hand over Aria’s back while Jane hurried across the cramped space and to the door.

The brunette pushed open the door and gasped in shock at the sight that greeted her. “Oh, my God.” She exclaimed in a quiet whisper. “Is he okay?”

“Who is it?” Lyssa asked, picking Aria up and rocking her when she continued to whimper and fuss. “Is who okay?”

“It’s Thor, carrying Erik.” Jane replied, stepping back and allowing the giant man into the RV.

“He’s fine.” Thor replied jovially, climbing inside. “Not injured at all.” Unfortunately, as soon as he said that, Erik banged his head against the wall, letting out a pained groan. “I’m sorry, my friend.” Thor apologized, chuckling.

“What happened?” Lyssa asked with an expression crossed between exasperated and unimpressed.

“We drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud.” Thor replied, grinning brightly.

“Of course.” Lyssa muttered under her breath, rolling her large eyes.

“Uh, put him on the bed.” Jane said as Lyssa carefully shifted so there was room.

Thor inched forward and carefully dropped the drunk man onto the mattress, his actions speaking of having done the same thing on many occasions. Erik let out a groan when he hit the bed, automatically adjusting himself into as comfortable a position as possible while Thor let out a soft laugh.

“I still don’t think you’re the God of Thunder.” Erik slurred, smiling dopily up at the giant blond God. “But you ought to be.”

“Get some sleep, Erik.” Lyssa said gently as she and Thor tucked him in properly, pulling the blanket over his body. She carefully put Aria back down onto the bed, letting her snuggle into Erik’s arms before Thor covered her with the blanket as well.

It was then that Lyssa realized she was essentially stuck, being as she was against the wall with Erik and Aria between her and the floor.

“Would you like some assistance, my lady?” Thor asked, grinning at her with mirth-filled eyes.

“Yes, I would, please.” Lyssa replied, sheepish yet still managing to present an air of dignity.

Thor put his hands beneath her armpits and lifted her up, showing no effort at the action especially considering he was balancing her entire weight on his arms alone. She let out a light laugh, reflexively placing her hands on his biceps where they were completely dwarfed by the bulging muscles even through the fabric of his borrowed clothes.

Jane watched with a small smile as Thor gently placed Lyssa on the floor in front of him, the pair almost entirely unaware of their audience as they looked at each other and shared their tender moment. She couldn’t help but be impressed that the man hadn’t looked anywhere but at Lyssa’s face, especially when her tank top had ridden up slightly to show a little of her toned abdomen when he lifted her off the bed. She was happy for Lyssa, seeing the younger woman slowly move past her pain whether she realized it or not. Similarly, Thor seemed to be carrying himself with a newfound sense of acceptance which he hadn’t possessed prior to his brief ‘stay’ at the SHIELD facility.

This realization, combined with Thor’s gaze not wandering when any other man’s would have, led Jane to believe that perhaps the witch and the exiled prince could help each other in a way that she herself, Erik and Darcy couldn’t, no matter how much they would want to.

After several moments, Thor and Lyssa broke eye contact and the exiled prince looked around the cramped quarters curiously. “Are these your chambers, Lady Jane, Lady Lyssa?” He asked with the same curiosity that was in his gaze.

“It’s Jane’s.” Lyssa replied, turning back to the bed and reaching over the sleeping forms to grab her brush and hair tie.

“It’s more of a temporary living situation.” Jane explained somewhat defensively. She noticed the mess on the counters and grabbed the cereal box and bowl. “Oh! I’m sorry.” She said, flustered and embarrassed. “I don’t usually have guests.” She shoved the items into the cabinet above the sink while Thor watched her with a glimmer of fond amusement in his striking blue eyes. “Actually, I never have guests.”

“The bowl doesn’t go in the cabinet yet.” Lyssa said, not looking up from her bag.

“No, it doesn’t.” Jane agreed sheepishly, spinning back around and removing the bowl from the cabinet. Instead she placed it in the sink, the appliance nearly filled to the brim with dirty dishes. “I’m sorry.”

“Why don’t we go up to the roof?” Lyssa suggested calmly as Jane became increasingly flustered. “It’s a nice night and I for one could certainly use some fresh air before bed.”

“Yes, of course.” Thor agreed with a smile. “It certainly is a wonderful night.”

Lyssa put on her dressing gown, a deep black with the Gryffindor house crest on the left breast and lined with red, along with a pair of flats and pocketed the baby monitor while Jane slipped on a pair of boots and her jacket. Once they were ready, Thor held the door open and the three of them stepped outside into the cool night air.

Walking in silence, they made their way up to the roof where Lyssa used magic to light a fire while Thor and Jane set up the cots and sat down.

“Lyssa and I come up here sometimes when we can’t sleep or we’re trying to reconcile particle data or more personally, when Darcy’s driving me crazy.” Jane explained as the fire began crackling away merrily. “Sometimes, when Aria is particularly fussy, Lyssa brings her up here as well.”

“Now that you mentioned it, we come up here a lot.” Lyssa said in realization, settling down on the empty cot between Thor and Jane.

“Oh God, you’re right.” Jane muttered in disbelief.

Thor chuckled softly at the expression on the dark-haired woman’s face.

Lyssa glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, seeing something in his features that she hadn’t seen earlier that day. “I’m really glad you’re safe.” She said earnestly, turning to face him completely.

“You’ve been very kind to me, and I’ve been far less grateful than you deserve.” Thor said softly, his expression becoming ashamed and apologetic. “Especially you, Lady Lyssa. You showed kindness to a stranger without knowing whether I could pose a threat to your daughter.”

“Well, Jane  _ did _ hit you with her car a fair few times, so I think we can call it even.” Lyssa said with a light laugh.

“Perhaps I had it coming.” Thor joked.

“Perhaps.” Lyssa agreed breezily.

Thor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out Jane’s journal, the four-colored pen still attached to the back cover, holding it out to the brunette.

“Oh, my God!” Jane exclaimed in shock, taking the black book. “I don’t believe it!”

“It was all I could get back.” Thor said apologetically, remembering all the possessions he had seen at the facility that had once belonged to the two women. “I’m sorry it’s not as much as I promised.”

“No, Thor, this is great.” Lyssa reassured him as Jane flipped through her journal happily. “It may not seem much, but with this, we won’t need to start from scratch.”

“Thank you.” Jane said earnestly, looking up at Thor with a smile. She turned back to her journal, the smile slowly fading into a frown.

“Jane, what’s wrong?” Lyssa asked worriedly.

“SHIELD.” Jane said softly, looking between Lyssa and Thor sadly. “Whether or not they’re an American counter-terrorism and intelligence agency, they’re going to do everything in their power to make sure this research never sees the light of day.”

“Jane, that is not going to happen.” Lyssa said vehemently. “You can’t give up, not now.”

“Lyssa is correct.” Thor agreed. “You mustn’t give up.”

“Why?” Jane asked helplessly. “You know I’m right, Lyssa. Even if you were to go back to England and use your political connections, they’ll still do everything they possibly can to sideline us.”

Lyssa looked away at Jane’s words, knowing the older woman was right. What Jane didn’t know was that if Lyssa were to return to England, she would be swept back into the maelstrom of the Wizarding World and be forced to retake her position as Lady of the House of Potter with all that it entailed. At the moment, Albus was playing the role of Regent with Remus as his right hand due to his responsibilities as Headmaster of Hogwarts, which allowed Lyssa the freedom of living and working in America while raising Aria.

Thor looked between Lyssa and Jane, sensing that there was something he didn’t know but pushed it aside for the moment. Instead, he focused on helping Jane, not letting her give up. “Jane, you must finish what you started because you’re right.” The blond said. Jane looked at him sadly, not believing him. “Here, look.” He reached for the journal and gently tugged it out of her hands, opening it to the page that was filled with drawings of different worlds. “You’re ancestors called it magic just as Lyssa does, and you call it science. Well, I come from a place where they’re one and the same thing.”

Lyssa watched as he drew on the page, his entire focus on creating lines between the different worlds.

“What is that?” Jane asked curiously, seeing the lines and noticing that they didn’t touch the worlds or each other.

“My father explained it to me like this, that your world is one of the Nine Realms of the Cosmos, linked to each other by the branches of Yggdrasil, the Worlds Tree.” Thor explained.

“Jane, we see it every day without realizing it.” Lyssa added, Thor nodding at her words while flipping through the journal to a previous page. "Especially the scientists who work with the Hubble Telescope.”

“Here, see?” Thor said, drawing Jane’s attention to the page he had been looking for. It was a photograph of the starlit sky, with a series of small colored specs that stood out against the silvery dots.

“Tell me more?” Jane pleaded, looking between Thor and Lyssa.

The pair looked at each other briefly before turning back to Jane. Just as they were about to continue, the baby monitor sparked to life with Aria’s cries and Erik’s mumbles.

“Duty calls.” Lyssa said with a laugh, getting to her feet. “You two continue, I’ll be back in a bit.”

“If Aria lets you.” Jane said playfully.

“If Aria lets me.” Lyssa agreed, walking across the roof and going inside the building. She quickly and quietly climbed down the stairs and then back out into the night air. 

On the wind, she could faintly hear Thor’s voice as he explained about the Realms and that he himself was from Asgard. She reached the RV, quietly opened the door and entered to find Aria sitting up on the bed and rubbing her eyes blearily, her cries having turned to whimpers. Erik, who normally would’ve comforted the toddler even while asleep, was still completely knocked out due to his earlier drinking binge.

“Mama.” Aria cried when she saw her, reaching her arms out in the universal ‘pick me up’ gesture.

“Oh my baby.” Lyssa murmured, crossing the short distance and sweeping the little girl into her arms. “It’s okay, Mama’s here. Mama’s not going anywhere.” Aria snuggled against her chest, curling her hands around her dressing gown. “Do you want to come up to the roof, hmm? Listen to the stars sing? Let’s get your blanket and go up to the roof.”

Lyssa grabbed Aria’s blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her before pulling the covers up again over Erik. The slumbering man merely mumbled incoherently and turned over to his other side.

“I do not envy the migraine he will have tomorrow.” Lyssa muttered dryly, shaking her head exasperatedly.

Aria just looked at her and gave her a gummy smile, showing off her small teeth. Lyssa laughed lightly and exited the RV, closing the door gently behind her before heading back to the base, intent on returning to the roof. As she walked, she sang softly to her, filling the peaceful night with her melodic and soothing voice. 

_ “Hush now, don’t be scared _

_ Through this tide of darkness _

_ Shadows may march, _

_ Thunders may roar, _

_ But peace will soon prevail.” _

The rocking motions of her movements lulled Aria back into a sleepy doze. She snuggled deeper into Lyssa’s chest, absently bringing her thumb up to her mouth and sucking the digit as her eyes fluttered open and close.

_ “Through our land, _

_ This sacred land, _

_ Nightmares spread confusion, _

_ But stand your ground _

_ Until you’ve found _

_ The strength to light your way.” _

Singing the final note of the song as she stepped onto the roof, Lyssa let her voice fade away. She glanced down at Aria and found that she was, predictably, fast asleep. “I see Jane fell asleep too.” Lyssa remarked, nodding to the sleeping brunette.

Thor turned away from the stars he had been gazing at to look at her. “Yes, she fell asleep to the sound of your song.” He informed her. Lyssa nodded, settling on the cot next to the exiled prince with Aria next to her, curled against her chest. “You sing beautifully.” He complimented her genuinely.

“Thank you.” Lyssa said with a rather bashful smile. 

He smiled back at her before turning back to the stars. Lyssa followed his gaze and looked up at the starlit sky as well. A comfortable silence filled the air between them, both lost in their thoughts.

Lyssa remembered how she used to sing all the time when she had been at school. She had been the unofficial ‘older sister’ for Gryffindor House and as such, was often the one to calm the younger years when they had nightmares or were restless or even stressed about exams. 

Even after she graduated, she was the only one of the alumni who actually returned to the school simply to connect with the younger years, to provide them with a sense of comfort when they became scared as the war began to rage harsher and bloodier outside the castle gates, with Death Notices eventually being received by students on a daily basis. She was also the only one, aside from Lily Evans, who could control the Marauders; in fact, the only one who had better control of them than the feisty muggle-born witch.

“Can I ask you something?” Lyssa asked after several minutes, pulling herself out of her thoughts that were quickly taking a depressing turn.

“Of course.” Thor replied, nodding and shifting slightly so he could face her.

“Feel free to not tell me if you don’t want to, but… what was it you learned while at the facility?” Lyssa asked, shifting onto her side so she could look at the man properly. “It’s just… when you came back, there was more to your expression than just the realization that you were no longer worthy to lift Mjølnir.”

“How do you know that there is a Worthiness Enchantment on Mjølnir?” Thor asked with a small frown, partly to deflect her question and partly out of curiosity. He knew the only reason he wasn’t able to lift it was because of the enchantment his father had placed on it, even if he had been unaware of it until his failed attempt to do so, but he didn’t know how  _ Lyssa _ would know of it as she most certainly hadn’t been on Asgard when it had been cast.

“I heard the enchantment uttered on the wind when you were unable to lift it.” Lyssa replied honestly, not seeing any reason to lie. “Ever since I was little, I could hear and see the magic around me in ways that no one else can. It’s something that not even the most powerful wizard I had ever met, the headmaster of the school I had attended as a child, could do.”

Thor stared at her in shock. To the unknowing person, her explanation could be described as similar to Heimdall’s ability to see and hear everything but this wasn’t it. This was seeing and hearing  _ magic _ itself, and he had a feeling that if Lyssa were to look into Yggdrasil, she would be able to see the very threads of life throughout the cosmos. There had only been one person he knew of that had this ability – Anera.

“It used to give me such headaches when I was little.” Lyssa continued, unaware of her companion’s thoughts or shock. “Seeing and hearing things that no one else could see or hear; I was even able to see things that hadn’t even happened yet! It took a long time, but eventually I was able to control it enough so that it didn’t control me. Of course, it wasn’t before I was aware of nearly every little secret regarding my brother and his friends and let me tell you, there are some things no sister  _ ever _ wants to know about her younger brother.” She shuddered in remembrance of some of the things she had been unintentionally privy to, firmly and adamantly pushing the memories away; having witnessed them once was one time too many. It was then that she noticed Thor staring at her with wide eyes. “Thor?”

“Yes?” He asked, in a slightly high-pitched voice.

“You okay?” She asked worriedly. “You’re looking at me strangely and to be honest, it’s rather disconcerting.”

“I’m fine.” Thor said, shaking his head and smiling at her reassuringly. “Your explanation took me off guard for a moment, that’s all.” Lyssa raised her eyebrow, clearly not believing him. Before she could question him on his rather blatant lie, he said, “While I was in the facility, I was visited by an image of my brother, Loki.”

“Loki, the Trickster, the God of Mischief?” Lyssa clarified.

“Indeed.” Thor replied, nodding. He was no longer surprised that the woman knew that. “He informed me that my father has passed.”

“I’m so sorry.” Lyssa said sincerely, reaching out and taking his large hand with her own smaller one, squeezing it sympathetically. “Because you’re still here, I take it you aren’t allowed home?”

“I was banished because I nearly started a war with Jotunheim and the treaty that has been brokered is contingent upon my exile.” He said sadly. “Mother has also forbidden my return home.”

“But why?” Lyssa asked, confused. “You’re her  _ son _ ! Why would she want you to remain in exile when you and your brother are all she has left of your father?”

“She is my mother, but she is also Queen of Asgard.” Thor said softly. “Like my father had done, she must think of the people and what is best for them, not just her sons.”

“I can't even begin to imagine being parted from Aria. Even before Lily and James died, I had found it painful to be parted from her after she was born.” Lyssa said softly, looking down at her slumbering daughter and running her free hand through the unruly hair; her other hand was still in Thor’s, their fingers now interlocked.

“May I ask, and feel free to not reply if you so wish, but what had happened?” Thor asked, paraphrasing Lyssa’s earlier question. “To Aria’s birth parents? I heard what you said this morning, but I do not know the whole story and I am hesitant to draw a conclusion.”

Lyssa was silent for several minutes, watching Aria sleep. At first, Thor assumed she was upset with his questioning but when he made to disjoin their hands, she clung tighter refusing to let go.

“They were murdered.” She replied finally, turning her pale gaze on him. “6 months ago, on Halloween.” Thor frowned, unfamiliar with the word. “I don’t know what it’s called among the Norse, or even if you celebrate it, but among the Gaelic it is known as Samhain.”

“Ah.” Thor nodded in understanding.

Lyssa resumed her story, explaining about how there had been a war of blood supremacy, how countless people had been murdered simply because they were born of non-magical parents or because they stood by those of non-magical descent, how eventually that led the self-proclaimed Dark Lord to her brother and sister-in-law’s doorstep while they had been in hiding. She told him how Lily and James had been found in different locations of the house which indicated that James had tried to buy time while Lily ran to get Aria, how Lily’s position in front of the crib showed that she had stood in the path of the curse. She recounted how the Fidelius Charm her family had been under worked and why she opted not to be the Secret Keeper by pointing out that she was an obvious choice as she was James’ sister, how they had been betrayed by someone they trusted, how an innocent person now rotted in a prison that was basically hell on Earth while the true culprit roamed free and how the entire Wizarding World hailed Aria as a hero.

“I do not understand.” Thor said with a frown, shaking his head. “From your retelling, it seems that it had been Aria’s mother, Lady Lily, who had been the one to defeat this Voldemort creature. It had been she who stood in his path to protect her child.”

“And that is what makes you different from  _ them _ .” Lyssa said, all but hissing the final word in reference to those she had grown up among. “They are content to place the glory at the feet of a child who still wore diapers and drank her mother’s milk, a child who was orphaned at the hands of a madman seeking immortality and power. Only a handful had seen the child orphaned that night while the rest saw a hero.”

Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks unbidden, the woman unable to stem their flow no matter how hard she tried.

Thor shifted his cot until it was next to hers and pulled her into his arms, hugging her gently while still being mindful of the slumbering toddler between them. He whispered gentle nothings into her ear while rubbing her back soothingly, letting her grieve in a way she hadn’t let herself do so in many months.

Slowly, her heart-wrenching cries turned to sobs which in turn became whimpers before stopping completely as her breathing evened out and she succumbed to sleep’s embrace. Thor leaned back on the cot, shifting so that Lyssa rested her head against his chest. He also moved Aria slightly so that she slept between them with her head on his stomach and her legs on her mother’s.

“Thank you, Lyssa, for everything you have done for me these past two days.” He whispered softly, curling his free arm around Aria to prevent her from falling if she rolled during the night.

With that, he closed his eyes and let himself fall into sleep’s welcoming embrace, feeling the comforting weight of Lyssa and Aria in his arms.

_ Links: _

_*Lyssa pajamas -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879475944212/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879475944212/)


	8. The Truth

**Chapter 6: The Truth**

_ June 2, 2011 _

Lyssa and Thor worked together to make and serve breakfast while the morning light streamed through the large glass doors. Jane, Darcy and Erik sat at the table, the two women watching the older man down some painkillers to help his hangover while Aria babbled away in her highchair, nibbling on pieces of toast.

“Shh, Aria, not so loud.” Erik moaned, wincing against the bright sunlight even though his back was to the doors. He was dressed in a royal blue button-down shirt with a black sweater on top, navy-blue jeans and black running shoes.

“Gyanpa huwt?” Aria asked, cocking her head to the side curiously. She was in a purple printed dress with silver mary jane shoes on her feet, her disarrayed, naturally layered curls held back with a silver headband decorated with a light purple flower on one side*. Her blanket was hanging over the back of the highchair, close by but away from the food. 

“Yes, Prongslet, Grandpa is in pain because he did something quite silly last night.” Lyssa said, glancing at the toddler over her shoulder. She was wearing an ivory lace cap-sleeved knee-length dress with a silver flower pendant and earring set and ivory 4” high platform heels, leaving her hair open.

Erik shot her a dirty look which she blithely ignored. 

“Gyanpa have potion?” Aria asked with an appropriately disgusted look on her face.

Thor also shuddered at the mention of potions, remembering all the times he had been forced to down the vile concoctions. In his personal opinion, they were no better than poisons, for all that they aided healing. He was once again in borrowed clothes consisting of a light grey t-shirt with a navy-blue unbuttoned plaid shirt over it, a pair of navy-blue denim jeans and dark grey shoes.

“No Grandpa can’t take any potions.” Lyssa replied, laughing lightly at Aria and Thor’s reactions to the mention of the brews.

“Gyanpa wucky.” Aria remarked. “No take icky potion.”

“Yes, that does make him quite lucky, doesn’t it?” Thor asked with a smile, placing a small plate of eggs in front of the toddler.

Aria grinned up at him before turning to her meal and digging in, using her child fork and spoon set to feed herself. Thor absently pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning and joining Lyssa, resuming his task of aiding her.

As soon as the pair had their backs turned, Jane pulled out her phone and flipped through the settings. She was in a white band t-shirt with an off-white plaid shirt over it, black leggings and brown boots, her hair open. “Guys, you won’t believe what I saw this morning.” She said gleefully, opening the photo gallery and holding it out to her friends.

“Is that-?” Darcy asked in a whisper, a bright grin on her face. She was also wearing a band t-shirt but in grey with a smoky grey sweater over top and a maroon scarf around her neck. She also had on a pair of dark grey denim jeans and black boots, her hair open with a tan-colored hat on top.

“Wow, it is!” Erik exclaimed, also in a whisper. His eyes were wide in shock, his jaw hanging open at what he saw.

It was a photo of Lyssa, Thor and Aria earlier that morning. All three were fast asleep, Thor with his arms around Lyssa and Aria who both looked  _ peaceful _ like they were exactly where they belonged.

“See, p’ease.” Aria asked, looking up pleadingly at the adults. “Aunnie Jane, Awia see, p’ease.”

“Okay, Aria, you can see.” Jane said, wheeling the highchair around the table and setting it between herself and Darcy. “Look, Aria, who’s this?” She held the phone in front of her, showing her the photo.

“Awia!” Aria exclaimed delightedly. “An’ Mama an’ Thow.”

“Where’s Aria, Mummy and Thor?” Lyssa asked, carrying a jug of orange juice to the table while Thor brought the remaining plates.

“There!” Aria said, pointing at the phone in Jane’s hand.

Jane looked at Lyssa and Thor sheepishly, showing the photo she had taken. “You guys looked so adorable. I couldn’t help but take a picture of it.” She explained slightly defensively.

Lyssa looked at the photo, an expression of surprise crossing her face at the sight of how tranquil she looked in Thor’s arms and the way he was curled around her and Aria, protecting them from the cool dawn air and from falling over the side of the cot.

Thor meanwhile wasn’t sure to be upset at the photo being taken but decided to take his cue from Lyssa. The pretty redhead didn’t seem upset or angered so he decided to let it go and instead focused on the image itself, seeing himself curled around Lyssa and Aria in a way that his father had curled around him, Loki and Frigga many a night so long ago.

“Just don’t go posting those online.” Lyssa said after several minutes, handing the phone back to Jane and sitting down in her chair.

“No problem.” Jane chirped happily, pocketing the phone.

With that, they returned to their meal and the conversation turned to what the plans were for the day. Jane and Lyssa would begin working on resuming their research while Thor said he would look after Aria and Darcy would split between the two groups like she always did. Erik was somewhat skeptical about Jane and Lyssa’s explanation of the conversation they’d had with Thor the previous night regarding the Realms, not because he didn’t believe them but because he knew what the scientific community was like. However, he wisely waited until Thor was preoccupied with washing the dishes (the exiled prince had insisted on doing the task as a way to earn his keep and be of some use), after he and Aria had returned the mug Lyssa had repaired back to Izzy along with apologizing for his previously arrogant behavior. Aria was on the counter next to him, keeping him company and playing with the soapy water.

“It’s a beautiful theory, girls.” The older scientist said softly, pacing in front of them with a mug of coffee in his hand.

“I can almost  _ see  _ the ‘but’ coming.” Lyssa said dryly.

“ _ But  _ you won’t be able to convince the scientific community of any of it.” Erik said gently. “Not without hard evidence.”

There was a knock on the doors and a male voice delightedly exclaimed, “Found you!”

Everyone turned to the doors at the sound of the voice and had varying reactions – Thor grinned brightly, Aria clapped happily, Darcy and Jane stared in shock with their jaws dropping and Erik’s coffee mug slipped from his suddenly slack fingers, his own jaw also dropping in shock. Thankfully, the mug landed on the counter and not the floor.

“You were saying?” Lyssa asked dryly with amusement coloring her tone and features. She couldn’t help but snicker at the reactions of her friends and colleagues, all still staring in stunned disbelief at the new arrivals.

There were four of them, three men and a woman, all of them dressed in armor and visibly carrying weapons. While each of them possessed the same otherworldly beauty that Thor did, a glaring indicator that they were also not from Earth, they seemed to glow with an ethereal light at the same time that enhanced their beauty.

“My friends!” Thor boomed delightedly, wiping his hands on the towel and lifting Aria off the counter as the visitors opened the doors and came inside. The golden-haired prince laughed, passing Aria to Lyssa before he ran towards his friends and embraced each of them.

“This is good! This is good!” The voluminous red-haired man said jovially.

“I don’t believe it.” Erik muttered faintly in shock.

“Oh, excuse me!” The red-haired man said, turning his attention to the stunned mortals and Lyssa. “Lady Sif and the Warriors Three.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Lyssa said with a warm smile, taking charge since Erik, Jane and Darcy were still in shock. Lyssa lowered Aria to the floor and then dipped into a slight curtsy, her move received with a short bow from the red-haired giant.

“I am Volstagg, the Voluminous.” He introduced himself, rising from his short bow. “This is Fandral, the Dashing.” He gestured to the handsome man with short blonde hair who gave a similar short bow in Lyssa’s direction. “And Hogun, the Grim.” He gestured to the dark-haired man with almost Asian-like features who also gave a small bow. “And Lady Sif.” The dark-haired woman with them also gave a short bow rather than a curtsy, her presence there being as a warrior rather than a lady of the court.

“I am Lady Lysianassa Potter.” Lyssa began. “This is my daughter, Lady Arianwyn Potter.” She gestured to Aria who waved shyly before running to Thor, grabbing her blanket as she passed it, and hiding behind his legs, looking up at the strangers curiously. “These are my friends, Professor Erik Selvig, Dr. Jane Foster and Miss. Darcy Lewis.” She gestured to each of her friends in turn who all waved faintly.

“My friends.” Thor said with a smile, lifting Aria into his arms and perching her on his hip. “I’ve never been happier to see anyone.” His smile faded, a sad look taking its place. “But you should not have come.”

The happiness on the Warriors’ and Sif’s faces faded into confusion as they exchanged looks.

“We’re here to take you home.” Fandral said, not understanding Thor’s reaction.

“Y-You know I can’t go home.” Thor said sadly, hurt filling his eyes at the perceived barb thrown at him by his dearest and oldest friend.

Without warning, Lyssa gasped, drawing everyone’s attention to her and preventing the conversation from continuing any further. Her eyes went wide and unfocused.

_ An elderly white-haired man, his face weathered from the passing of time and the ruling of a kingdom though still ageless in appearance, lay sleeping on a magnificent bed. Gold silken sheets covered him to his chest while a shimmering gold forcefield surrounded him. A beautiful woman with equally ageless features sat by his side and held his hand. _

“Lyssa?” Erik asked worriedly, not liking the blank look on the woman’s face.

“Mama?” Aria asked with a whimper, clinging tightly to Thor who began rocking her and rubbing her back soothingly.

“What is happening?” Sif asked with a frown. She and the Warriors Three shifted without thought so that they were guarding Thor (and Aria), the exiled prince currently defenseless without his powers and carrying a child in his arms.

“I don’t know.” Jane said, shaking her head. “I’ve never seen her zone out like  _ this _ before.”

Lyssa remained unaware of the conversations around her, the worry aimed in her direction. She was lost in the throes of her vision, seeing something that none of the others could see.

_ A dark-haired man with light green eyes, black hair and fair skin, dressed in black and dark grey armor with a green cape gripped the spear in his hand tightly. The grip was the only outward sign of his anger. He strode down the hall and to the far end of the Vault where there was a grid-like wall instead of smooth marble and stone. His spear thudded against the cool marble flooring, the sound echoing in the cavernous room, and the grid-like wall melted away. A giant figure, made of smooth metal and standing at over 7’ tall, stepped forward with echoing footfalls. _

_ “Ensure my brother does not return.” The man ordered with a cold look in his eyes. “Destroy everything.” _

Lyssa gasped, swaying on her feet for a moment before her eyes rolled upwards and she pitched forwards.

“Lyssa!” Erik, Jane, Darcy and Thor shouted in unison, alarm clear on their faces.

Volstagg darted forward and caught her before she hit the ground, sweeping her smaller form into his arms.

“Mama!” Aria screamed, crying in fear. Thor rubbed her back and rocked back and forth in an attempt to calm the screaming toddler. Unfortunately, it did little to soothe her, Aria knowing that something was very, very wrong with her mother.

“Put her on the table.” Erik said, pushing his worry aside in favor of helping his hearts’ daughter. Volstagg did as he was told, gently placing Lyssa on the wooden surface. The red-haired giant stepped back while Erik checked Lyssa’s pulse, his worry clearly visible. “She’s okay, just unconscious.” He declared finally after several tense minutes. “She should come around-” Before he could finish his sentence, a low groan filled the air.

Everyone turned to the sound and saw Lyssa sitting up and rubbing her forehead. “Ow.” She moaned. “Anyone get that Hippogriff that trampled me?”

“What’s a Hippogriff?” Darcy asked, momentarily sidetracked.

“A large creature with the head and torso of an eagle, complete with the wings, and the back end of a horse.” Lyssa replied absently, swinging her legs over the side of the table and sliding off. Before Darcy, or anyone else could comment on her response, she looked at Thor. “Your father, he looks really old with white hair and a gold eyepatch?” She asked him urgently.

“Yes.” Thor replied slowly, looking completely confused. “Why do you ask?”

“Remember how you told me last night that Loki told you that your father passed away? How the treaty with Jotunheim is contingent on your exile?” She asked, tone still urgent.

“I do.” Thor replied, still confused and wondering why the redhead was asking such questions.

The Warriors Three and Sif exchanged looks, each of them just as confused as Thor, though not for exactly the same reasons. It was obvious that Thor had been misinformed of what was happening on Asgard; while the Frost Giants were angry, there was no treaty in place. Rather it was Loki’s refusal to undo the Allfather’s last command as his first.

“Loki lied, at least about your father. He’s alive.”

“What?” Thor breathed in disbelief, torn between relief at his father being alive and heart-broken at his brother’s lie.

Aria, who had been wriggling in Thor’s arms for the past several minutes in her desire to be passed to Lyssa, stopped moving. Instead, she wrapped her tiny arms around Thor’s neck, hugging him comfortingly. Thor automatically began rubbing his back, accepting the reassurance the toddler was trying to give.

“I know not how Lady Lyssa is aware of this, but she is correct.” Sif confirmed. “Thor, your father still lives.”

“Forgive me if I sound rude, my lady, but how is it you know this?” Hogun asked, looking at Lyssa with suspicion.

“I have the gift of Foresight.” Lyssa replied simply, assuming that the Asgardians would know what she was talking about. Judging by the looks of understanding on their faces, she was right. “Although, personally, I think it’s more of a curse.” She muttered under her breath.

“Wait, that’s how you always seem to reply to things before we even say them and how you know what will happen before it does?” Jane asked.

“Sometimes.” Lyssa replied, nodding.

“And whenever you zone out, you’re getting a vision?” Darcy asked.

“Most of the time.” Lyssa replied.

“All right, you can explain about it later.” Erik said before anyone could ask any more questions. “What did you see? Even though we’re only being told about your gift/ curse/ whatever now, this is still the first time you’ve passed out because of it.”

“That’s just because I’ve never seen anything further than Earth.” Lyssa said reassuringly. She turned to Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three. “I saw a man, black hair and green eyes dressed in dark grey armor with a green cape, carrying an ornate spear.”

“That sounds to be Loki.” Thor said with a frown.

“He was-”

Lyssa was cut off by the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. Everyone turned towards the sound, looking through the still open doors to see a swirl of grey clouds forming out in the desert, a stark contrast against the clear, cloudless sky. Throughout the town, people murmured in confusion, pointing up at the swirling clouds that slowly descended to form a vortex.

“Was somebody else coming?” Darcy asked nervously.

“A giant robot.” Lyssa replied. She looked at Thor, the fear shining in her eyes for  _ him _ . “That’s what I had seen. ‘Ensure my brother does not return’, were Loki’s exact words.”

“He has sent the Destroyer.” Hogun said, gripping his weapon tightly.

“Loki’s ordered it to destroy everything.” Lyssa revealed as they ran out into the street.

“Lyssa, you have to take Aria and leave.” Thor said, passing Aria to her. The toddler was silent but was sucking her thumb furiously and gripping her blanket tightly.

“And what are you planning on doing?” Lyssa asked incredulously, perching Aria on her hip.

“I’m staying here.” Thor said firmly.

“Thor’s going to fight with us!” Volstagg declared delightedly.

“Volstagg, Thor doesn’t have his powers, remember?” Lyssa reminded the Voluminous Warrior.

“My friends, I’m afraid Lyssa is correct.” Thor said gently, stepping closer to the Warriors Three and Sif. “I’m just a man. I’ll only be in the way, or worse, get one of you killed. But I can help get these people to safety.”

“If you’re intending to stay and help, then so am I.” Lyssa said firmly, glaring up at Thor and daring him to argue with her.

Thor looked at her for a moment before nodding in surrender. “We’ll need some time.” He told his friends.

“You’ll have it!” Fandral promised, pivoting on his heels and darting off with Hogun, Volstagg and Sif.

Lyssa drew her wand from its disillusioned arm holster and hastily conjured a sling, strapping Aria into it against her chest. She then waved it at her throat. _“_ _ Sonorus. _ ” She said before gently resting the tip at her throat. “May I have your attention, please?” To her audience’s surprise, her voice was amplified several times, allowing her to be heard throughout the town. “All residents, please evacuate the immediate area and buildings in a calm and orderly fashion. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill.”

Thor, Darcy, Jane and Erik began ushering people to safety while Lyssa repeated the call. The townsfolk were confused but allowed themselves to be piled into several vehicles, the urgent expressions on the evacuators' faces telling them that it wasn’t the time to argue; thankfully, living in a small town in the middle of the desert made them quite used to abrupt evacuations.

Just as the first of the cars, vans and trucks, each filled to capacity, drove off towards the town limits, the Destroyer came into view on the main street. It unleashed a wide blast of orange-white energy through an aperture in its head, the fiery beam striking a parked car on the curbside. The car exploded in a ball of flames, frightening the remaining townspeople who screamed; the sounds were drowned out by the noise of the Destroyer firing another blast, this time at a car parked in the gas station.

Aria whimpered softly, burrowing her face further into Lyssa’s chest and gripping her blanket tightly.

“Hurry!” Lyssa shouted, ushering people into a jeep, her wand tucked back into its holster. “Stick together!”

Thor, Erik, Darcy and Jane joined her with a few stragglers who were quickly ushered into the jeep as well. They slammed the doors closed once the last person was inside and the driver waited only long enough for the evacuators to clear the way before gunning down the road as fast as the vehicle would allow.

“For Asgard!” A voice sounding a lot like Fandral’s shouted.

Hearing the shout, Thor spun on his heels and ran towards his friends, Lyssa, Darcy, Erik and Jane hot on his heels. They skidded to a stop a short distance from the Asgardians, watching as Fandral and Hogun launched Volstagg into the air and towards the Destroyer. With his axe raised high, he let out a mighty yell that turned into a choked scream as he was backhanded by the giant metal robot and sent flying back.

_ “ Arresto Momentum!” _ Lyssa shouted, instinctively holding her hand out in Volstagg’s direction. The spell slowed his descent so that he didn’t crash into the cars that littered the roadsides. “Thor, take Aria.” She said, her hand still outstretched in Volstagg’s direction, focusing on gently lowering him to the paved ground.

Thor quickly undid the sling and took the toddler. Aria was quiet, watching with eager eyes while the rest only watched in amazement. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Volstagg shook his head to clear away his shock at the magic that was used on him. However, before he could find the source of the voice that cast the spell that spared him quite a few bruises, the Destroyer loomed over him menacingly; he was defenseless, his weapon having been knocked out of his hand when he was sent flying back by the giant robot.

But it wasn’t the Destroyer that caught his eye; rather, it was Sif who jumped off the roof of a nearby building. She let out a mighty cry and landed on the back of the Destroyer’s neck, piercing her lance into its back and forcing him to bend over until the tip of the blade touched the ground.

The energy that had been building within the robot died away and everyone let out a sigh of relief while Sif gave Volstagg a smug grin.

The grin, and everyone’s looks of relief, froze on their faces when the Destroyer began to reposition itself while still bent over. Lyssa ran forwards without hesitating, leaping into the air and growing a pair of large shimmering feathered wings from her back, mostly pure white in color but interspersed with silvery gold feathers.

Erik, Jane and Darcy stared at Lyssa with their mouths hanging open in complete shock. Thor just gave a small smile, taking in how breathtaking she looked.

“D-Did Lyssa just-?” Erik stammered.

“Grow wings and fly?” Darcy finished numbly.

“Oh, yeah.” Jane said, nodding faintly.

“Mama fwy!” Aria said, clapping delightedly.

Fandral and Hogun ran forward and tugged a still slightly stunned Volstagg out of the way while Lyssa reached Sif and grabbed her hand. She pulled the dark-haired woman off the Destroyer seconds before it discharged another energy blast that shot into the air.

The force of the blast, though missing them, sent Lyssa and Sif flying several feet sideways until Lyssa was able to regain her flight momentum and hover in the air, gripping Sif’s forearms tightly.

“Fall back!” Sif shouted as the Destroyer straightened up and off the lance that had been embedded into it. “Lyssa, can you let me down near the others?”

“Sure.” Lyssa replied, readjusting her hold on the Asgardian’s arms and flying towards the Warrior’s Three.

The Destroyer unleashed another blast of energy, aimed in Lyssa and Sif’s direction. Unable to completely dodge the blast, Lyssa screamed in pain when her wing was brushed by the beam, burning it.

“Mama!” Aria screamed, reaching out to her only to be held back by Thor’s firm grip.

“Lyssa, drop me and I’ll try to catch you!” Sif said as they rapidly began losing altitude.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Lyssa didn’t reply but did as Sif said, dropping the Asgardian woman. As soon as her feet hit the ground, Sif spun around and held her arms out, catching Lyssa in her arms just as her wings retracted and she fell.

“Are you okay?” Sif asked, setting the woman on her feet.

“I’ll be fine.” Lyssa said through gritted teeth, her arm slung over Sif’s shoulder as they moved towards the Warrior’s Three. “I haven’t let them out in a while so they’re more sensitive than normal. Don’t worry, they’ll heal in a bit.”

The Warrior’s Three moved towards them, each looking crossed between worried and impressed. Just as the two parties reached each other, another blast from the Destroyer sent them flying in opposite directions, destroying several buildings and telephone poles at the same time.

Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg crashed into the diner while Sif and Lyssa landed on the hood of a nearby car, flipping over it and landing on the other side.

_ "Espulso! _ ” Aria screamed loudly, waving her hands furiously at the Destroyer. Tears streamed down her face, her emerald green eyes filled with anger at the robot for injuring her mother.

Though she mispronounced the spell, something that could ordinarily be quite dangerous considering magic's potentially lethal applications, her will power, determination and the fact that she was still a child enabled her to push the robot back several steps with the Expulso Curse; it had caused an immense explosion at the Destroyer’s chest that marred and slightly dented the smooth metal plating.

“Good girl, Aria!” Lyssa said with a groan, using the car to push herself to her feet.

Sif, pushing herself to her feet as well, could only gape at the toddler in her prince’s arms. Thor, too, was gaping at the child in shock. No one other than beings of immense power could mark the Destroyer’s metal form, let alone push it back; Sif’s attack hadn’t even  _ scratched _ the massive robot and here was a child, not even 2 years of age, who had managed to mar  _ and _ dent it.

Who was this child? And her mother who wielded a kind of magic that had never been seen in mortals? Not even in the witches and wizards native to Midgard?

The Destroyer quickly regained its bearings and stepped forward, closing in on the scattered group with energy building once again.

“Go! Now!” Thor shouted, curling his arm around Aria and pushing Jane ahead of him with his other hand. “Run!”

The Destroyer faced the diner where the Warrior’s Three had landed and discharged the energy blast. The small building exploded in a ball of fire, glass shattering in every direction; the force of the blast sent Volstagg, who was largely unaffected by the explosion aside from being disoriented, flying back into the street and into the buildings on the other side of the road while Hogun and Fandral were able to be protected by the walls.

“Okay, does that thing have  _ any _ weaknesses?” Lyssa asked, peeking around the side of the car to look at the advancing Destroyer. Small fires had erupted everywhere, and the air was filled with dark grey smoke.

“It is controlled by whomsoever wields Gungnir.” Sif said. “I have never seen it defeated, though I have never before had to fight it.”

“So, we would need a miracle.” Lyssa muttered as Thor ran up to them. “Thor! Where’s Aria?”

“She is with Jane, Erik and Darcy.” He replied reassuringly, crouching in front of the two women and putting a hand on each of their shoulders. “Sif, Lyssa, you both have done all you can.”

“No.” Sif argued, shaking her head and wincing slightly. “I will die a warrior’s death. Stories will be told of this day.”

“Sif, there won’t  _ be _ any stories if we all get killed.” Lyssa stated bluntly, looking at the dark-haired Asgardian as though she had lost her mind. “And I’m sorry to say, none of us quite meet the requirements to be a ghost.”

“Live.” Thor said gently, agreeing with Lyssa. “And tell those stories yourself.” Sif nodded, albeit reluctantly. “Now both of you, go.” He ordered firmly while taking Sif’s shield.

Lyssa grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly. “Be careful.” She said softly.

Thor smiled softly and gently squeezed her hand before letting go. Lyssa glanced at him for a moment before darting around the car with Sif, all three of them ducking when the vehicle exploded. Thor ran towards the Warrior’s Three, Fandral and Hogun aiding Volstagg while Sif and Lyssa ran to Erik, Aria, Jane and Darcy.

“Erik, are you okay?” Lyssa asked, seeing her mentor being supported by Darcy while clutching his side. She took Aria from Jane’s arms, holding the quietly whimpering toddler against her chest and rubbing her back soothingly.

“Yeah, don’t worry about me.” He said as Sif wrapped her arm around his waist and supported the majority of his weight.

“We need to fall back.” Fandral said coming up to them, he and Hogun supporting Volstagg. “Come on.”

“Come on.” Sif said, turning and walking away from the Destroyer with the rest of the group following close behind.

The sound of a shield clattering against the concrete ground reached Lyssa’s ears and she stopped. “Wait.” The redheaded witch said, turning and looking towards Thor.

“What’s he doing?” Jane asked worriedly.

“He’s going to try and speak with Loki.” Lyssa said softly, gently prying a lock of her hair out of Aria’s tight grip and replacing it with her blanket.

They all watched with growing horror and trepidation as Thor walked purposefully towards the Destroyer.

“Brother, whatever I have done to wrong you,” Thor began softly, not stopping his strides towards the robot. “Whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry. But these people are innocent. Taking their lives will gain you nothing, it will not bring Anera back.”

Sif and the Warrior’s gasped quietly at the mention of Anera, each of them remembering Thor’s beloved and Loki’s best friend. In each life she had lived, she would fall in love with Thor and become Loki’s best friend, bridging the differences between the brothers. In the last few lives she had lived, Thor and Loki desperately tried to keep her at arm’s length, doing everything they could possibly think of to keep her away so that the cycle would not repeat itself only to fail spectacularly each time – Thor would fall in love with her and she with him while she and Loki would become best friends.

Lyssa heard the quiet gasps and glanced at the Asgardians. She wondered who Anera was, the name sounding familiar; it was obvious that the woman meant a great deal to them, especially to Thor and Loki and that she was gone from their lives. At the back of her mind, despite praying that the woman was still alive somewhere, Lyssa knew that she was dead, and her heart went out to the brothers.

Thor stopped directly in front of the Destroyer; the robot’s facial structure retracted downwards as the energy built up inside it. “For the past 25 years, you have blamed me for what had happened to her.” Thor continued, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. “So take your vengeance out on me and take my life. And end this.”

For several seconds, everyone watched with bated breath, eyes firmly on the Destroyer and waiting to see what Loki would do. Then, the energy slowly died out and the robot’s facial structure reformed. The small group let out sighs of relief as the Destroyer began to turn away.

Suddenly, without warning, the robot backhanded Thor. The blond man let out a breathless groan as he flew backwards.

“No!” Lyssa screamed, setting Aria down and running forward. “ _ Arresto Momentum! _ ” She cried desperately, waving her hand at Thor’s soaring form. She gently lowered him to the ground and ran towards him. He gasped for air, each breath he struggled to take feeling as though fire was piercing through his lungs. Lyssa fell to her knees next to him, taking in the cut over his right eye, the lacerations littering his cheek and the deep gashes on his chest, all of which were bleeding heavily. “You’re gonna be okay, honey.” Lyssa said desperately, drawing her wand and waving it over his broken body, scanning his injuries. Tears fell from her eyes as she read the result; he had several broken bones, a collapsed lung that was rapidly filling with blood and countless bruises, contusions and lacerations.

Thor coughed, blood spewing from his mouth. He looked at her, bringing a shaking hand up to cup her cheek. “It’s over.” He whispered, coughing up more blood that spattered Lyssa’s ivory dress.

“No. It’s not over.” She denied, shaking her head. She didn’t seem to notice the blood on her dress as she began healing his wounds; however, his injuries were too severe even for magic to heal. There was a small part of her, the part of her that she was vehemently ignoring, that knew this. Thor was dying.

“I mean, you and Aria are safe.” He rasped, clinging onto life through sheer willpower.

“We’re safe, baby, we’re safe.” Lyssa confirmed, covering his larger hand with her own smaller one and pressing it further against her cheek.

“It’s over.” He repeated softly.

Thor inhaled deeply before letting it out, his eyes fluttering closed and his heart, which had been beating overtime in an attempt to keep him alive, stopped. His hand slipped from Lyssa’s hold and hit the ground with a quiet thud that echoed in the suddenly silent air.

“NO!” Lyssa screamed, shaking him as tears fell from her eyes. “No.” She sobbed.

Erik wrapped his arms around Darcy and Jane. Aria began crying and Sif tucked her head against her chest, she and the Warrior’s Three staring in horrified sorrow at their friend’s fallen form.

Thor Odinson, firstborn son of Odin All-father, Crown Prince of Asgard, was dead.

_ Links: _

_*Aria outfit (no jacket; silver headband with purple flower) -_ [_https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879480295073/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879480295073/)

_ *Lyssa 3 _ _ rd _ _ day outfit (with flower shaped earrings matching the necklace), hair open - _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/434527064019857433/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/434527064019857433/)


	9. The God

**Chapter 7: The God**

Lyssa tucked a strand of Thor’s thick golden hair behind his ear and cupped his cheek, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed. Though she could hear Aria wailing behind her as Sif struggled to comfort her in the wake of her own sorrow, the redhead didn’t move from her spot beside the fallen prince. Lyssa could feel her magic building within her, threatening to over power her in response to her sorrow and anger at Thor’s death; so similar the feeling was to when she had learned of James and Lily’s death and Sirius’ imprisonment in November the previous year, the result of which was the destruction of the Hogwarts grounds. It had only been the presence of children within the ancient castle itself that kept her from leveling it to rubble just as she had demolished the grounds.

_ “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” _

Lyssa raised her head when she heard the whisper, identical to what she had heard outside of the SHIELD facility the previous evening, from the words to the voice.

A rumbling whooshing filled the air, the sound reaching the small, grieving group’s ears and they all looked towards it. The only one who didn’t seem to register it was Lyssa who had turned her gaze back onto Thor.

“Lyssa!” Erik shouted, running to the redhead and grabbing her by the arms.

“No! No!” She shouted, fighting and struggling against him.

“Come!” Erik shouted, firmly, all but dragging her away from Thor’s lifeless form.

Lyssa continued to struggle as Mjølnir, the source of the whooshing noise, flew towards them. Suddenly, a hand reached out and grasped the handle and lightning shot down on the figure that held it.

Thor.

Lyssa watched with a mixture of delight and relief as armor began to form along Thor’s body; Darcy and Erik just staring with slack-jaws while the four other Asgardians beamed delightedly.

“Oh. My. God.” Jane breathed faintly, her jaw hanging open just like Darcy and Erik.

The Destroyer, who had turned back around when Mjølnir appeared, fired a beam of energy. Before the blast could reach its target, Mjølnir shot out from within the column of lightning and struck the robot, causing the beam to redirect towards the row of idle cars. Another blow from the hammer sent the robot flying to the ground where it skidded several feet before stopping.

Mjølnir returned to its owner and the lightning faded away to reveal Thor dressed in Asgardian armor like Sif and the Warrior’s, though his was styled differently. It had a collared blue tunic with red piping and black pants. Over the shirt was a black vest emblazoned with gleaming silver overlay, a bright red cape connected to the shoulders. His arms were covered by a unique type of chainmail and he had a pair of detailed, black, knee-high boots on his feet.

Lyssa didn’t notice any of that, however. Rather, she noticed that his injuries weren’t just healed, but gone completely and he seemed to glow with an ethereal light that enhanced his otherworldly beauty; it was the same light that Sif and the Warriors Three were glowing with. Lyssa let out a small, delighted laugh, unexplainably happy that he was all right.

The Destroyer raised its head and fired another blast at Thor who dodged it by flying up into the air. He spun Mjølnir around, gathering storm clouds, summoning the winds and thunder and forming a tornado around himself and the Destroyer. The small group of spectators ran away from the funnel while all around them, cars and debris became sucked in. Lightning streaked through the stormy grey tornado as Thor hovered within the eye of the storm, increasing the suction strength until the Destroyer was drawn in as well.

The robot floated upwards and fired another blast of energy only for it to be blocked by Mjølnir. Each of the following blasts were similarly blocked by the hammer, Lyssa watching from below with Aria once again in her arms.

“Mama, look. Thow fighting with thundew and Myeu-muh.” Aria said, beaming brightly and pointing at the tornado.

“Mjølnir.” Lyssa corrected automatically, her gaze remaining on the fight occurring above their heads. “And yes, baby, I can see that.”

“How is your wing?” Sif asked, briefly glancing at the redhead before turning her own gaze back onto the fight.

“It’s okay.” Lyssa replied. “It’s just about healed.” She unfurled her wings and showed that, sure enough, the feathery appendages were almost completely back to their previous state. Only a few feathers were still slightly askew, but rapidly slipping back into place. “As long as I don’t overtax them when they get injured, they can heal pretty quickly. Unfortunately, the rest of me, not so much. Even with magic.” She looked down at her dress, noticing the blood that stained the lower portion of the ivory fabric. She grimaced.  _ “Scourgify.”  _ She said, waving her hand at her dress. Instantly, the blood began fading away until it was completely gone, leaving the pretty dress pristine once more.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of this.” Erik admitted, looking very faint. In truth, all that was keeping him upright was Sif, who had once again wrapped her arm around him to support him when he began to sway.

“You’ll become accustomed to it.” Volstagg said reassuringly.

The Destroyer fired yet another beam of energy only this time, when Thor blocked it with Mjølnir, he dove towards it and slammed the hammer directly into the open faceplate. The action forced the beam back into the robot, creating a backup of the energy and causing a fiery explosion. The resulting concussion wave echoed for several hundred square miles, across half the desert.

The robot fell down towards the ground as the storm clouds and the dust faded away. Thor strode purposefully towards the small group, the Destroyer landing in a heap behind him with a quiet thud.

“Yay!” Aria cheered, clapping delightedly as Thor approached them.

Lyssa was silent, just watching as he stopped in front of her, their gazes locked. Aria reached out to Thor, silently demanding to be carried by the large man who happily obliged, perching the toddler on his hip without breaking eye contact with the redhead.

“So, is this how you normally look?” Jane asked curiously before Lyssa could say anything.

“More or less.” Thor replied, not looking away from Lyssa.

“It’s a good look.” Jane commented, eyeing the form-fitting armor and the way he seemed to effortlessly pull it off. Aria perched on the prince’s hip only served to give him a caring image while the armor and the hammer provided the warrior look.

“Never mind that!” Lyssa said heatedly, a furious look on her face; her still-unfurled wings fluttered behind her, the ruffled feathers having nothing to do with her now completely healed injury but a testament to her irritation with the Thunderer. She reached out and smacked Thor on the arm that wasn’t being used to support Aria.

“Ow!” Thor cried indignantly. “What was that for?”

“You scared the-” Lyssa began furiously only to pause briefly and glance at Aria. She reached out and covered the toddler’s ears before continuing, “bloody crap out of me, you son of a gun!” As soon as she was done ‘swearing’, she uncovered Aria’s ears though her furious glare remained trained on the Thunder God.

Behind them, Erik, Darcy and Jane were roaring with laughter while Sif, Fandral and Volstagg snickered. Hogun wasn’t outright laughing like his friends, though he had a smirk on his face, the only outward sign of his amusement at the scene.

“Thow, Mama angy.” Aria commented helpfully.

“I see.” Thor said softly, taking a step towards Lyssa and closing the distance between them. “I’m sorry Lyssa.” He said gently, hooking Mjølnir on his belt before reaching out and cupping her cheek gently; all the while, he did not break eye-contact with her. “I did not mean to cause you worry.”

“Well, I suppose in this case, I can let it pass.” Lyssa said, though still somewhat cross.

Thor became serious and looked over at his friends, their amusement fading at his expression. “We must go to the Bifrost site.” He said grimly. “I would have words with my brother.”

The other four Asgardians nodded in acceptance at the order, Volstagg letting go of Fandral and Hogun and standing on his own. Sif glanced at Erik briefly before letting him go, only pulling away completely once he was able to support his own weight.

“Excuse me!” A voice called, drawing everyone’s attention. It was Agent Coulson, along with a team of his agents. “Donald?” The agent said, approaching Thor who stepped around Lyssa to face the man completely. “I don’t think you’ve been completely honest with me.”

“When does  _ anyone _ tell you people the truth?” Lyssa muttered under her breath. She glared fiercely at the agent who had stolen her and Jane’s research and then held Thor as a prisoner, granted the last one was actually the prince’s fault.

“Know this, Son of Coul.” Thor said before Coulson could retort back to the witch. He absently reached up and pried a lock of his hair out of Aria’s grip, instead handing the toddler her blanket that Lyssa held out to him.

Coulson raised his eyebrow at the action but stayed silent, momentarily struck by how natural the large man looked in armor with a toddler on his hip. It was more than that, though. Thor’s action was so smoothly done that it was as though he had been doing it for years when Coulson was well aware that the child was in fact Lyssa’s daughter.

“You and I, we fight for the same cause: the protection of this world.” Thor continued passionately, unaware of the dark-haired man’s momentary lapse. “From this day forward, you can count me as your ally  _ if _ you return the items you have taken from Lyssa and Jane.”

“Stolen.” Jane threw in.

“Borrowed.” Coulson corrected. “Of course, you can have your equipment back. You’re both gonna need it to continue your research… which, after today’s events, SHIELD would like to fully sponsor.” He paused and looked at Jane, the woman who had been more vocal about her displeasure with them. “If that’s alright with you?”

Jane stared at Coulson for a moment, shock, disbelief and excitement warring on her pretty features. Unable to form words at the thought of not having to worry about payments and being able to freely work, she nodded as excitement won over.

Thor turned to Lyssa, a small grin on his face. “Would you like to see the Bifrost Bridge?” He asked.

“Absolutely!” Lyssa said with an excited grin, taking a step back and spreading her wings.

“Follow me.” Thor said, tightening his grip on Aria and swinging Mjølnir in the air.

He shot into the sky, followed half a second later by Lyssa, their laughter and Aria’s delighted squeals echoing down to the group below.

“Wait, I need to debrief you!” Coulson shouted, only for his call to go either unheard or just plain ignored.


	10. The Bridge

**Chapter 8: The Bridge**

Thor and Lyssa stood at the Bifrost site, Aria standing next to her mother and holding her hand tightly, the sigil burned into the sand beneath their feet. The van, which Erik was driving, pulled to a stop just behind the ring of overturned government vehicles and its occupants emerged, including Sif and the Warrior’s Three.

“I prefer horses.” Volstagg groaned, his skin pale beneath his red beard.

“Aye.” Hogun agreed with a groan. “These metal carriages are not a method of travel I find pleasant.”

“Oh, come now, my friends!” Fandral said cheerfully, the only one of the Three who didn’t seem unsettled by the bumpy trip. “It was quite the experience and a rather enjoyable challenge, too!”

“Fandral, if you want a challenge, I have one for you.” Sif said sweetly, her tone light though she looked just as unsettled as Hogun and Volstagg.

“Name it, Lady Sif.” Fandral said eagerly.

“Keeping your mouth shut.” Sif said loftily, stepping up to the Bifrost sigil.

Fandral shot her glare, muttering under his breath as he, Volstagg and Hogun joined them. He was predictably ignored though Aria looked up at him curiously.

“Heimdall, open the Bifrost!” Thor ordered, looking up at the clear sky.

Nothing happened and the sky remained stubbornly clear.

“Heimdall?” Thor questioned, a note of worry in his voice.

Lyssa gasped, her eyes glazing over as she was overcome by a vision.

_ A tall man dressed in golden armor with gold eyes was encased in ice from head to toe and his face frozen in a silent scream. His arms were outstretched as though in the midst of a fight, both hands curled around the handle of his sword that was frozen as well. _

“Mama?” Aria called, looking up at her mother and seeing the vacant look on her face.

Thor lifted her up, perching her on his hip just as he had a short time earlier. Aria put her thumb in her mouth and began sucking it while clutching her blanket tightly in her other hand, her head resting on the large man’s broad chest.

_ A male, taller than the tallest Asgardian and possessing blue skin and red eyes, stalked through the gleaming golden halls of the Royal Palace. He stopped in front of a particular set of closed doors and touched them with a cold hand, letting ice spread out from his fingertips. Once it had spread along the ornate golden doors and the walls on either side of them, he punched the doors and they flew open with a loud clatter. _

_ He was met with a regal woman bearing a sword, both hands curled around the handle. The woman stalked towards him and raised the blade, ready to strike him when he struck her instead, sending her flying across the room with a groan. _

Lyssa gasped, blinking rapidly as she returned to the present.

“Heimdall!” Thor shouted again, unaware that Lyssa had emerged from her visions. He looked towards Sif and the Warrior’s Three, all of whom became serious when the Bifrost didn’t open at the prince’s call. “He doesn’t answer.”

“If he’s the man with gold eyes dressed in gold armor, he doesn’t answer because he is encased in ice.” Lyssa said, drawing everyone’s attention to her.

“Then we are stranded.” Hogun pointed out, confirming that the man Lyssa had seen was the Gatekeeper.

“You have to keep trying.” Lyssa told Thor, taking Aria from him when the toddler reached out to her. “That may be the only way for him to break himself free of the ice.” She paused for a moment. “Do you know of a being that is at least seven and a half feet tall with blue skin and red eyes?” She asked.

“Frost Giants of Jotunheim.” Thor said. “Why?”

“There are Frost Giants in Asgard right now.” Lyssa said, her tone becoming urgent and fearful for Thor’s people and family. “They were the ones to encase Heimdall in ice and I think they’re going to try and kill your father while he’s unable to defend himself.”

Thor’s eyes widened in alarm and he spun around, facing the sky. “Heimdall!” He screamed, his tone tinged with an urgency that hadn’t been present earlier. “If you can hear me, we need you now! Heimdall! We need you now!”

“Heimdaw!” Aria shouted, mimicking Thor.

“Heimdall!” Thor shouted.

Suddenly, the clouds swirled as a vortex formed in the sky, a rainbow light shimmering within it.

Sif, Volstagg and Fandral grinned brightly, even Hogun expressing his happiness at the sight with a smile. The four of them ran forward and stopped in the center of the sigil, watching as the bridge slowly formed.

Thor looked at Lyssa and Aria, taking in every detail of their features. He reached out and wrapped his arm around Lyssa’s waist. “I must return to Asgard, but I give you my word, I will return for you.” He said softly, looking into Lyssa’s large eyes. He looked down at Aria, seeing the bright emerald green orbs staring up at him and pressed a gentle kiss to the sweet child’s forehead. “For the both of you.” He let go of her waist and instead took her hand, pressing a chaste kiss upon her knuckles. “Deal?”

Lyssa looked up at him, seeing the sincerity of his words and the pain at having to leave her and Aria behind in his clear, striking blue eyes. Throwing caution to the wind, she gently put Aria down without breaking eye contact and did something she had never done before, ever. She cupped Thor’s face in her small hands, pulled him down towards her and pressed her lips against his in a sweet kiss.

Erik, Jane and Darcy, who had stayed back by the ring of overturned cars, stared at the lip-locked couple in shock, their jaws dropped open. The shock wasn’t that the pair were kissing but rather that rather that  _ Lyssa _ had been the one to initiate it. Sif, Hogun, Volstagg and Fandral on the other hand had small smiles on their faces at the sight, though it was tinged with sorrow; they were happy that their friend and prince had found someone to move on from Anera with, but at the same time, the woman was mortal and was doomed to the fate of all mortals – to wither away and die with the passing of time while Thor would remain relatively the same.

Aria looked up at her mother and Thor, seeing them kiss in a way she vaguely remembered her birth parents kissing. She made a face at them and plopped down on the ground, playing with the sand and becoming mesmerized by the feel of the grains against her fingers and the patterns she could draw.

Lyssa and Thor were unaware of the thoughts that raged through the minds of their family and friends, or even that Aria’s attention had strayed to the sand that surrounded them. No, they were only aware of the way they fit into each other’s arms and the sensation of the other’s lips against their own, molding perfectly together and moving in sync.

Slowly, they pulled apart, both breathing heavily.

“Deal.” Lyssa said softly, resting her forehead against his for a moment before stepping back. “Now, go. Save your family and then come back to us.”

Thor pressed a kiss to her forehead before forcing himself to step away and join his friends beneath the forming Bifrost. He refused to look back at the woman that had captured his heart, the first to ever do so since Anera had died her most recent death. He knew that if he turned, he wouldn’t be able to leave her behind.

Lyssa looked away from Thor’s retreating back, knowing why he refused to turn around, and instead turned her attention to Aria; the toddler’s attention meanwhile had moved from the sand that surrounded him to the small butterflies that lived in the desert and were fluttering around. Aria toddled after them, dragging her blanket and completely oblivious to where she was headed.

“Aria!” Lyssa screamed in panic, seeing where her daughter was going and running towards her.

Thor spun around at the panicked voice and saw the reason for it in the form of Aria; the little girl had followed after a butterfly and ended up within the parameters of the Bifrost’s landing marks. Lyssa quickly pulled Aria into her arms, but before she could clear the landing site, the Bifrost finished forming.

“Oh, shit.” Was all Lyssa could say as she was transported to Asgard with the Asgardians.

~*~

_ Asgard _

Lyssa stepped through the doorway and into a gleaming golden observatory, Aria in her arms. Heimdall was kneeling at the top of a circular, tiered platform where a sword was embedded within a control console, watching them through heavily lidded eyes. Lyssa shifted Aria to her hip, securing her with one arm, while darting to the dazed man and starting to check his vitals, easily slipping into the role of healer she had once played during the war.

“Lyssa, how is he?” Thor said worriedly.

“He has severe frostbite from being encased in the ice which, judging by the condition of his armor, I’m guessing was quite a while.” She declared, glancing up at the blond man before turning her attention back to the gold-armored man. “He needs medical attention and fast.”

“Get him to the healing room.” Thor ordered as Hogun and Fandral carefully lifted Heimdall upright and slung the man’s limp arms over their shoulders. “Leave my brother to me.” He turned to Lyssa, his voice becoming gentle but still firm. “Go with them, you and Aria will be safe.”

“Sif, can you take Aria with you, please?” Lyssa asked, turning to the female warrior. Sif nodded and took the toddler, who thankfully didn’t put up a fuss; in fact, Aria was quite curious about her surroundings and babbling away, uncaring that no one was really listening, largely unfazed by the transport or the fact that she was in another Realm. With her daughter taken care of, the redhead turned back to Thor. “I’m going with you, Thor. I can look after your parents and check on your father while you face Loki. I may not know anything about Asgardian Physiology and this Odinsleep that your father is in, but I do know how to read vitals and medical scans.”

Thor looked at her for a moment. “Very well.” He said finally, but it was clear he wasn’t happy with the idea.

“Prongslet, you be good for Lady Sif, okay?” Lyssa said, turning to the toddler in Sif’s arms. “Mummy and Thor have something we need to take care of, and we’ll come back to you as soon as we can.”

Aria looked at Lyssa and Thor for a moment before nodding. “Okay, Mama. I lovey.” She said, gripping her blanket tightly.

“I love you, too.” Lyssa responded, pressing a kiss to the toddler’s forehead.

Thor kissed Aria as well before stepping back and swinging Mjølnir, preparing to fly while Lyssa spread her wings once more. “Follow me.” He said to Lyssa before taking off.

Lyssa shot after him, easily keeping pace with the Thunderer as they flew across the Rainbow Bridge and towards the city and the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf that rose up magnificently from its middle. Lyssa didn’t pay any attention to the breathtaking architecture of the buildings that surrounded them or even of the Royal Palace itself as they entered it and flew down the hallways, Thor leading the way.

“We have to go to my parents’ bedchamber.” He told her. “That is where my father sleeps and my mother would be guarding him. The Frost Giants would go there to attack him.”

Lyssa nodded in understanding.

All too soon, the pair reached the King and Queen’s bedchambers and landed on silent feet, Lyssa retracting her wings. She saw the ice formations along the wall and silently pointed them out to Thor who nodded, having seen them as well. Both glanced at each other, neither liking the implication of the ice.

“I swear to you, Mother, that they will pay for what they’ve done today.” A voice said from within the bedchamber, carrying out into the hallway through the open doors.

Hearing the voice, Lyssa’s eyes widened, recognizing it from her vision. She glanced at Thor and saw his face take on a dark look, indicating that he too knew who the voice was. The only good thing about it was that it meant that the Frost Giants that Lyssa had seen attack Odin were likely dead.

“Loki.” Thor growled, stepping into the doorway of the vast, gleaming bedchambers.

“Thor!” A tall, beautiful and regal woman breathed, lifting her skirts and running to the blond man. “I knew you’d return to us.” She hugged Thor tightly in relief, the larger man returning the embrace wholeheartedly. She pulled back and looked towards Lyssa, a confused frown appearing on her ageless face. “Thor, who is this?” She asked, looking between her son and the strange woman with him.

“I am Lysianassa Potter, Your Majesty.” Lyssa introduced herself when it became obvious that Thor was more preoccupied with glaring at Loki. The dark-haired male was carrying a spear that she assumed was Gungnir and wearing the armor she had seen in her vision, but with the addition of a horned helmet. Lyssa curtsied elegantly to the Queen. “I’m a friend of your son.”

“Welcome to Asgard, my dear.” Frigga said kindly, clearly wondering what had happened while her eldest had been in exile.

“Thank you.” Lyssa said graciously before becoming serious. “Are you injured in any way, Your Majesty? Either you or the King?”

“Merely a few bruises that’ll heal soon enough and the King is safe.” Frigga replied reassuringly, though Lyssa could tell by the woman’s furrowed brow that she was curious to why the question would be asked. “We were both saved by Loki, in fact.” She gestured to a pile of ash that littered a small section of the room, not far from the bed where the Frost Giant met its end.

“Is that so?” Thor growled darkly, stalking forward. “Why don’t you tell Mother how you sent the Destroyer to kill our friends? To kill me?”

“What?” Frigga asked in disbelief.

“It’s true, Your Majesty.” Lyssa said gently, knowing that the scene playing out must be even beyond the Queen’s worst nightmares.

“Why, it must have been enforcing Father’s last command.” Loki said silkily, the two brothers on either side of Odin’s bed.

“You’re a talented liar, Brother.” Thor said through clenched teeth. “Always have been.”

“It’s good to have you back.” Loki said silkily. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to destroy Jotunheim.”

Without warning, he fired a blast of energy from Gungnir, sending Thor flying through the wall and over the side of the tower they were in.

“Thor!” Lyssa and Frigga screamed in unison, both women running towards the hole that had been created as Loki slipped out of the room.

Lyssa unfurled her wings and dove out of the hole, oblivious to Frigga gaping at her in shock.

The redheaded witch drew her wand as she flew downward.  _ “Arresto Momentum! _ ” She screamed, waving her wand at Thor’s falling form. The large man’s descent slowed enough that he was able to use Mjølnir to hover several feet above the paved ground. Lyssa dropped down to his level and hovered in front of him. “Loki’s headed for Himinbjorg.” She told him urgently. “I don’t know how he plans to destroy Jotunheim, but we can’t let that happen. There are innocent beings living on that planet; they don’t deserve to die because of a few idiots.”

“Go up and join my mother, check on my father. I will stop Loki.” Thor said, nodding up at the top of the tower where Frigga looked down at them from the hole.

“Be careful.” She said, lifting herself up a few inches so that they were the same height.

Thor nodded and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before spinning around and flying off in the direction of the Bifrost. In the distance, the cackle of Bifrost energy stood out against the black sky. The beam shot out into the vast expanse of space, connecting to Jotunheim, the Realm of the Frost Giants.

Lyssa watched him go until he was out of sight before flying upwards, reaching the opening in the tower seconds later. She landed on silent feet and retracted her wings, walking towards where Frigga stood by Odin’s bedside, watching the newcomer with sharp eyes.

“Will you allow me to scan your husband?” Lyssa asked, looking at the Queen and drawing her wand. “I may not know much, or anything for that matter, regarding Asgardian Physiology, but I can check if he’s healthy despite still sleeping.”

Frigga hesitated for a moment but then nodded. “Very well.” She allowed.

Lyssa bowed her head slightly in respect before stepping up to the bedside, waving her wand over the slumbering man.

Asgard’s Queen could sense the power within the young woman just as she could see the swirl of light and color that surrounded her and also seemed to emit from within her. The power danced along Lyssa’s body as she waved her wand, the light and color spreading and compressing in equal measure, all without the redhead’s notice.

_ ‘Who is this young maiden?’ _ Frigga wondered curiously.

“Your husband is okay.” Lyssa declared, holstering her wand. “There doesn’t seem to be any effects of the Frost Giant’s attempt on his life, though to be on the safe side, considering I don’t know anything about Asgardian Physiology, he should be checked by a certified healer to confirm.”

“How do you know my son?” Frigga asked curiously, needing something to distract her from the knowledge that her sons were fighting only a short distance away, the fate of Jotunheim resting on who the winner would be. “Sit, my dear, make yourself comfortable as we speak.”

“Thank you.” Lyssa said with a smile, sitting next to the Queen beside the bed. “My friends and I met your son after he had been dropped by the Bifrost. We sort of accidentally hit him with our vehicle.” She admitted sheepishly, wincing slightly at the memory. Frigga gasped, her eyes widening in alarm. “He was okay, completely unharmed, aside from slightly disoriented from the trip.”

“That occasionally does occur.” Frigga said, nodding. “But how is it that you were transported by the Bifrost?”

“My daughter was chasing after a butterfly and wandered within the parameters of the landing marks.” Lyssa replied with a sigh. She had an expression that was crossed between exasperation and the long suffering patience that only a mother would possess. “I ran after her but before I could clear the site, the bridge formed and we were transported as well.”

“I see.” Frigga said, nodding. “You have a daughter?”

“Yes.” Lyssa replied, smiling softly. “Aria. She’s almost 2 years old and the light of my life.”

“What of her father?”

“Her parents were killed 6 months ago.” Lyssa said softly. “Aria is my brother’s daughter and when they were killed, I took her in.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Frigga said gently, taking Lyssa’s hand and squeezing gently. “You are a strong maiden; to take in and raise a child is no easy task.”

“Believe me, I know.” Lyssa said with a small laugh. “That girl is far more mischievous than her father and her uncles ever were. Sometimes, I think her antics are payback for all the trouble we had caused our parents.”

“That may indeed be so.” Frigga said with a quiet laugh. She sobered up and looked at the young woman across from her, a question nagging her since she had learned of the little boy. “Where is your daughter now? You had said you were both transported here.”

“She’s in the healing room with Sif and the Warrior’s Three.” Lyssa replied. “I had asked Sif to take her with them while I came here with Thor.”

“I see.” Frigga said. “Tell me, my dear, what are your feelings towards my son? I had seen the kiss you both shared below before you parted ways.” She said with a smile.

Lyssa blushed at the realization that they had been seen, by Thor’s  _ mother _ no less. “I like him, a lot.” She admitted, valiantly trying to get her blush under control but failing spectacularly. “I know that there was someone else he had loved but had lost. I don’t know much about her, just that she meant a lot to both Thor and Loki, and maybe even others as well.”

The smile that Frigga had at the admission and the red-tinted cheeks faded at the young woman’s words. Instead, a glimmer of sorrow entered her eyes at the memory of the young warrior princess that was to be her daughter-in-law. “Her name was Anera.” The Queen said quietly. “Over the past many millennia, she had been repeatedly reborn upon her death. She has been born as Fandral’s sister, as Volstagg’s daughter, as the daughter of King Eitri of Nidavelir, and so many others. In each life, she would eventually meet my sons, becoming Loki’s friend while she and Thor would fall in love. And in each life, she would die before they could marry and bind themselves to each other.

“In her most recent life, she had been the Crown Princess of Alfheim and Loki’s best friend, bridging the differences between my sons like she had in each of her previous lives. She would fight alongside Thor and practice magic alongside Loki. We lost her to battle on the eve of the wedding 25 years ago and her death affected everyone, but none more so than Thor. It had been the closest the two of them had ever come to getting married and we all foolishly believed that it meant the curse had broken.” She smiled sadly, wiping away the tear that fell from her eye. Lyssa frowned at the mention of a curse, but didn’t probe, seeing that it was neither the time nor place to satisfy her seeds of curiosity. “I’m sure you had witnessed his arrogance, at least when he had first arrived on Midgard?” At Lyssa’s nod, Frigga continued, “In the wake of Anera’s death and as the years passed without any sign of her being reborn, he closed himself off to others, only portraying an air of cold arrogance. While the cold faded with time, the arrogance only increased, especially with the praise he was given with each feat he accomplished and each battle he emerged from victorious.”

“Oh, my God.” Lyssa breathed, her heart aching for Thor. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how much pain the man had been in, not even the loss of Lily and James could compare to Thor losing his beloved time and again, especially the night before their wedding.

With a start, she realized where she recognized the name from - the Halliwell Book of Shadows. It contained a few pages recounting the story of how the Norse God of Thunder and the Norse Goddess of the Moon would meet and fall in love only for her to die tragically, tearing them apart. The story said that it was due to a curse, though there had been no explanation to what the curse was, who it had been placed on or why it was cast in the first place. There also had been no description of either Thor or Anera nor of any of the lives that she had lived, only that, at the time the entry was written, it had been a very big number.

“In truth, my dear, I saw a change in my son in those few moments that I had seen him today.” Frigga said gently, drawing Lyssa’s attention once more. “You do not come second to Anera for my son’s love, Lysianassa. You have taught my son humility, something that he never had before, not even with Anera by his side. In each of her lives, Anera had been born to and lived among the noble or the royal families of the different Realms, the lives that I had mentioned are only a small number. As such, she had been raised with luxury just as my sons had, and though she was compassionate and caring to all, she did have the traces of arrogance that is common among nobles and royals.”

“I was born to and raised by a noble family on Midgard.” Lyssa pointed out, not seeing how she could have taught Thor humility when she apparently had a common trait with Anera.

“That may be so, dear girl, but I can tell just by looking at you that you have struggled to raise your niece in the wake of her parents’ demise.” Frigga responded. “The raising of a child is no easy task, especially not while struggling with one’s own grief.” She gave Lyssa a knowing look.

“No it isn’t.” Lyssa agreed quietly.

Before either of them could say anything else, Odin’s eyes shot open.

“Odin!” Frigga breathed, shooting to her feet and helping her husband sit up.

“How do you feel, Your Majesty?” Lyssa asked, staying a few feet from the bed but ready to help him if it was needed; she had moved away while Frigga had been helping the King sit up.

“I am well.” Odin said, reassuring his worried Queen and replying to Lyssa’s question. “You are the one who aided my eldest on Midgard?”

“Yes.” Lyssa replied, nodding. She gasped, her eyes widening and glazing over as she was drawn into a vision.

_ Thor struggled towards Himinbjorg, electrical energy sparking in every direction. Wind billowed around him, threatening to push him back and he trudged along the Bridge. He growled through clenched teeth, hair and cape whipping about. The circular dome spun uncontrollably, the Bifrost’s power continuing to stream out through space in a concentrated beam to Jotunheim. _

_ “Look at you.” Loki sneered, laying on his back with Mjølnir on his chest and pinning him in place. “The Mighty Thor.” Thor looked around desperately, trying to come up with a way to break the connection between Asgard and Jotunheim. “With all your strength, and what good does it do you now, huh?” Loki grunted in pain, the weight of the hammer pressing down on his ribs. “Do you hear me, Brother? There’s nothing you can do!” _

_ Thor panted heavily, his gaze on the cackling energy. He stretched his arm out behind him and summoned Mjølnir, the hammer immediately flying into his open palm. With a mighty swing, he brought the hammer down on the crystalline, prismatic Rainbow Bridge directly in front of him. _

_ Over and over, he swung his hammer down and the crystalline bridge cracked under the force and the weight of the blows. Behind him, Loki sat up and stared at the elder Prince in shock. _

_ “What are you doing?” The dark-haired Prince demanded. _

_ Thor didn’t reply, instead swinging his hammer down again with a roar. The bridge cracked even more, spreading along the width of the crystalline structure. _

_ “If you destroy the bridge, your mortal will never see her family again!” Loki screamed, desperately trying to get his brother to stop. _

_ Thor let out a roar and swung Mjølnir down again as a bright light began to emit from the cracks. Loki got to his feet and ran to the blond, Gungnir gripped tightly in his hands. _

_ “Forgive me, Lyssa.” Thor said sadly, bringing his hammer down again. _

_ The two Princes of Asgard yelled as they brought their weapons down, Thor on the bridge and Loki on his brother. _

_ The Bridge shattered and a bright light exploded against the dark starlit sky, the force of the blast sending Thor and Loki flying through the air above the abyss. _

Lyssa gasped as she returned to the present, blinking rapidly.

“Lysianassa?” Frigga called worriedly.

“Are you well, dear?” Odin asked her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“We have to get to the Bifrost.” Lyssa said urgently, unfurling her wings. “Long story short, I have the gift of Foresight and I just saw Thor destroying the bridge to break the connection to Jotunheim. The last thing I saw before the vision ended was both Thor and Loki being flung into the air by the force of the explosion.”

“Let us go.” Odin said immediately, climbing off the bed. There was a flash of light that surrounded him and when it faded, the King was dressed resplendently in dark grey, dark silver, and navy-blue armor with a dark maroon cape.

“Be careful, both of you.” Frigga said worriedly as Lyssa went to the hole that was still present in the wall.

Lyssa nodded and dove out of the tower while Odin left the room, hurrying through the Palace and towards the stables where his horse was. She flew through the city and was nearly at the Rainbow Bridge, the light of the Bifrost’s energy in the distance, when she was met by Odin, sitting atop an eight-legged horse that she recognized from the myths as Sleipnir. Pushing aside the urge to ask about what was fact and what was fiction, she nodded to the King and the two raced across the Bridge, the sounds of Thor repeatedly slamming Mjølnir down echoing towards them on the wind.

They had nearly reached Thor and Loki when the explosion rippled past them, the bright light exploding against the starlit sky just as Lyssa had seen. Both the brothers’ screams as they fell echoed in the air as Lyssa shot forward and dove after them, grabbing Thor’s legs, the blond gripping one end of Gungnir tightly while Loki held the other end.

“Bloody hell, you two are heavy!” Lyssa gasped, lying flat on her stomach and sliding forwards, struggling to keep hold of the combined weight of both Princes. It was not only their larger sizes that gave her trouble (even if Loki was of a leaner build than his brother), but their denser body mass making them much heavier than anything she had ever lifted before and the strong wind that billowed around them.

“Lyssa?” Thor shouted up towards her through gritted teeth, struggling to keep hold of Gungnir combined with Loki’s entire weight while hanging upside down. “I thought you were with Mother and Father?”

“I was - AHHHHH!” Lyssa’s response ended with a scream that was echoed by Thor and Loki as she slid off the bridge completely.

Lyssa’s scream stopped abruptly when she felt her bare ankle gripped by a strong hand, Thor and Loki’s screams stopping when they realized they were no longer falling. Automatically holding her dress in place over her legs with one hand, Lyssa looked up in unison with Thor and Loki. Thor and Lyssa had to twist slightly as they were hanging upside down, to see Odin at the edge of the Bridge, looking down at them through his one eye.

“I could have done it, Father!” Loki yelled up to the man who had raised him, struggling to keep hold of the smooth metal of Gungnir. “I could have done it! For you!” Tears filled his green eyes. “For all of us!” He said softly, though still loud enough to be heard.

“No, Loki.” Odin said sadly, unable to accept his youngest son’s ideals.

Loki looked up at his father, the devastation at the perceived rejection clear on his face as tears fell from his eyes.

“Loki, don’t!” Lyssa screamed, recognizing the resignation on the dark-haired prince’s face.

“Loki, no!” Thor shouted, also seeing the look in his brother’s eyes.

Loki looked at his brother and father for a moment before letting go of Gungnir.

“NOOO!” Thor and Lyssa screamed in unison as Loki fell into the abyss of space and was sucked into a black hole that swirled far below.

“No.” Odin breathed in sorrow, tears filling his blue eye.

Thor sobbed, his own tears mixing in with his hair that whipped around his face. Odin gently pulled Thor and Lyssa up and as soon as they were standing upright on the Bridge, pulled his son into a hug.

_ ‘Such a bittersweet moment.’ _ Lyssa thought as she watched father and son embrace.

Slowly, the pair pulled apart and Thor looked at Lyssa, guilt filling him at the sight of the woman who was stuck on Asgard with her daughter because of him. “I have no right to ask this of you, yet I still do.” Thor said softly, walking up to Lyssa and stopping in front of her. “Please forgive me. I have trapped you here with your daughter.”

“Thor, there is nothing to forgive.” Lyssa said in a gentle yet firm tone, reaching up to cup his cheek. “You did what you had to in order to save innocent lives. Aria and I will adjust to living on Asgard just as we adjusted to living in America after leaving England.” She stepped back and gave him a look that brokered no argument. “Now, you have a mother to see and I have a daughter to find.”

“Indeed.” Odin agreed, a faint smile on his face at seeing his son taking orders from the tiny maiden.

Thor swung Mjølnir and launched himself into the sky, Lyssa spreading her still unfurled wings and joining him. The two shot off towards the City with Odin mounting Sleipnir and following close behind.

The pain of losing Loki was still there for Thor and Odin just as Lyssa felt the pain of knowing she could never return home. But, for the moment at least, all three focused on the coming moment of reuniting with the family they had.


	11. Epilogue: The Beginning

**Epilogue: The Beginning**

_ June 5, 2011 _

_ Asgard _

The Banquet Hall in the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf was filled with loud noise and boisterous laughter, the tables groaning under the weight of all the food that had been prepared for the feast that was thrown to celebrate Thor’s return. In between bites of food, Volstagg regaled everyone with the tale of what had occurred in New Mexico, Fandral occasionally throwing in playful quips that had everyone laughing.

Everyone was dressed in elegant clothing, though Thor was in his armor that gleamed in the firelight. Lyssa was dressed in a light gold and cream, sleeveless high-collared dress* with a pair of light gold 5” high heeled peep toe pumps*. Her hair was braided away from her face and pinned at the back of her head, the remainder of her locks left loose to tumble down her back in ringlets with a few tendrils left free to frame her face*.

Aria was dressed in a light purple dress with long, fitted sleeves and slightly darker purple flats. Around her waist, she had a thin silver chain tied like a belt and her hair was in its trademark Potter disarray despite Lyssa having combed the thick, curly locks after getting her dressed.

“And then, with a mighty bellow,” The Voluminous one continued around a bite of chicken. “I flew into the giant metal creature and laid him low!”

“Fwew!” Aria emphasized, clapping happily. Lyssa had fed her beforehand, uncertain of how she would react to being around so many strangers; but, thankfully, the little girl was happy and excitedly adding her own two bits to Volstagg’s story, much to everyone’s amusement.

Whereas Lyssa had been met with curiosity and mild suspicion due to her being human, despite being a witch, Aria was met with warmth from the moment she was seen. Thor had quietly explained the previous day when Lyssa had mentioned it that while there certainly were children on Asgard, none were quite as young as Aria. He revealed to her that the youngest child was Volstagg’s daughter who looked to be the equivalent of 9 or 10 years old though was in fact at least a century old; Asgardians aged at a human rate until they reached puberty when their aging slowed down significantly. As a result of their near-immortality, they didn’t have as many children, Volstagg being among the rare few who did have a large brood of 12. When Thor had once again expressed his regret at mother and daughter being stuck on Asgard and as a result Lyssa being subjected to his people’s suspicion, she told him in no uncertain terms that as long as Aria was treated with genuine warmth and kindness, she could deal with the people’s suspicion. She further assured him that in time, the distrust would fade as they got to know her.

“Is that another way of saying you fell on your huge arse?” Fandral asked playfully.

“Arse!” Aria repeated delightfully.

“Fandral!” Lyssa exclaimed, shooting a mock glare at the blond-haired warrior. “Little ears!”

A ripple of laughter spread among the partiers, Lyssa’s reaction so similar to how many of their own mothers had reacted to such words.

“Sorry!” Fandral said with a laugh, unused to having to censor his words around one mentally so young.

“As a matter of fact,” Volstagg continued, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. “Falling was a tactic lulling the Destroyer…”

Thor, who had been sitting next to Lyssa while Aria was on her lap, quietly stood up. He squeezed her shoulder gently before pressing a kiss to Aria’s head and slipped out of the Banquet Hall. Lyssa watched him go sadly, knowing that he still felt guilty at shattering the Bifrost and was mourning the loss of Loki.

“Sif?” Lyssa called softly, catching the dark-haired woman’s attention. “Can you keep an eye on Aria for me, please?”

“Sure.” Sif replied, smiling.

Lyssa stood up and passed Aria over to the dark-haired woman across the table, the toddler more preoccupied with the story being told and adding her own input to notice that she was being moved. Once she was settled, Lyssa slipped away from the table and passed the guests who were also listening to the story, joining Frigga by one the many square columns that were scattered throughout the hall supporting the ceiling and watching as Thor walked across the cavernous room to the balcony on the far end.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Your Majesty.” Lyssa said, turning to the Queen and bowing her head.

“And I am sorry for the loss you have faced in the wake of what has happened.” Frigga said softly, gently touching Lyssa’s arm. “Your path back home.”

“Your Majesty, I do not think of it as a loss.” Lyssa admitted honestly. “I have Aria and as long as she is happy and healthy and more importantly, safe, I am happy and can make a life for us wherever I must.” She sighed and glanced back to where Aria was sitting on Sif’s lap, the Asgardian warrior maiden keeping her goblet of wine away from the toddler’s reach while handing her one filled with juice. She turned back to the Queen. “I know it will be a challenge to adjust once the novelty of our arrival wears off, but Aria is still young enough that she’ll be okay. Thor did what he had to in order to save an entire race of beings; I cannot blame him even if I wanted to because doing so would have meant condemning the Frost Giants to death just so I could return to Earth.”

“I must say, I am pleased my son has you.” Frigga told Lyssa honestly with a small smile on her face. The smile faded and was replaced by a look of concern. “How is he though?”

“He grieves for his brother.” Lyssa admitted softly. “And… he harbors guilt at being the reason Aria and I remain here.”

“He will continue to feel that guilt.” Frigga informed her. “You must continue to reassure him of your stance on the matter and, in time, he will truly believe it and let the guilt go.”

Lyssa nodded in understanding, not all that surprised by the news; she was actually much the same way, having harbored a deep guilt at being unable to save Lily and James even though she hadn’t been to Godric’s Hollow since the Fidelius Charm was cast – she literally had no idea where the cottage was, so she could not have saved them. Her belief that Sirius was innocent of being their Secret Keeper was based entirely on what she knew about them and the fact that he had been the one to tell her of the switch the day after the spell had been cast.

Sif came up to them, carrying Aria in her arms. “Lyssa, Aria wants you once more.” She said, passing the toddler over.

“Thank you for watching her.” Lyssa said gratefully, perching the toddler on her hip.

“It is no problem.” Sif said honestly. “She is a delight to look after.”

“You say that because you have the option of handing this little spider-monkey back to me when she drives you insane.” Lyssa said bluntly.

“Monkey!” Aria said with a bright grin.

“Indeed, I do.” Sif agreed with a small laugh, tapping Aria playfully on the nose.

“Mama, where Thow?” Aria asked curiously, looking around the packed hall but not finding the blond man she was searching for.

“Thor has gone down to see Heimdall.” Odin said, walking up to the small group.

Lyssa and Sif bowed their heads respectfully to the King when they saw him, Aria waving and smiling brightly at him.

“If you will excuse us.” Lyssa said, nodding respectfully to Frigga and Odin. “I’m going to take Aria to see Thor. I would actually like to know what Heimdall can tell me about my family and how they fare.”

Odin and Frigga both nodded and watched with Sif as the redhead walked off with Aria on her hip.

“You both see it as well, do you not?” Odin remarked to Sif and Frigga, standing between the two women and watching Lyssa’s retreating back.

“Yes.” Frigga said while Sif nodded in agreement.

“Thor is unaware of it, however.” Sif pointed out. “Should we not tell him?”

“No.” Frigga said firmly. “If we are correct, then their relationship must progress without the interference of the past or else Lysianassa will forever remain in doubt as to Thor’s feelings for her and whether they are for her or for who she was. And if we are wrong, then their relationship will have shattered before it could even be formed.”

“In either circumstance, we must keep our suspicions to ourselves.” Odin agreed,

“As you wish, my King, my Queen.” Sif said, bowing to their higher wisdom borne from not only their greater age, but also from their years of ruling.

Meanwhile, unaware of what Sif, Frigga and Odin were discussing or that she was the topic of said discussion, Lyssa flew through the City with Aria laughing delightedly in her arms. They caught up with Thor as he reached the Bridge and Lyssa landed on silent feet, retracting her wings and walking alongside him.

“Lyssa? I thought you were enjoying the banquet.” Thor said, taking Aria and perching her on his hip when the little girl reached for him.

“I was.” Lyssa replied with a nod. “But Aria wanted to see you.” She smiled gently up at the large man towering over her. “You  _ are _ the only other person she really knows aside from me so she’ll cling to the both of us for a while. She’ll go to Sif and the Warrior’s Three willingly enough but it won’t be long before she’ll ask for one of us again, at least until she settles down and starts recognizing people.”

Thor nodded in understanding as they began walking across the crystalline Bridge towards the jagged edge. “I spoke with my father.” He said after a few minutes of silence, absently prying his hair out of Aria’s tight grip with a wince. “I admitted to him that I had a lot to learn before I could be a good king, or even a wise one as he is, though there will never be a wiser king than he. I swore to him that I will make him proud.”

“And how did he respond?” Lyssa asked, not needing her Foresight to know what the response had been.

“He said that I have already made him proud.” Thor admitted. He had a confused frown on his face, as though he didn’t understand what his father meant. “But I do not understand. How can I have made him proud after all that I have done? All that I have caused?”

“You made him proud because you learned what he had been trying to teach you.” Lyssa explained. “You showed humility when you told him that you had much to learn; you showed humbleness when you apologized to me for blocking my way back to Earth; you showed compassion when you pleaded for the innocent lives of everyone in New Mexico just as you did when you fought to save Jotunheim; and you showed true selflessness when you faced the Destroyer and Loki all the while knowing that you could die doing so.”

She fell silent and let Thor think about what she had said, clearly having given a lot to think about with her words. Aria instead filled the air with random babble, encouraged with well-placed words by Lyssa at regular intervals; at some point during Lyssa’s explanation to Thor, the toddler had been set on her feet when she began squirming in the Thunderer’s hold, with her hands held tightly by the adults to prevent her from running off.

It was in this babble-filled silence that they reached Heimdall, the Gatekeeper standing stoically at the very edge of the Bridge. He had his hands folded over the hilt of his sword and his golden-eyed gaze staring out into the vast expanse of space.

“Is Earth truly lost to us?” Lyssa asked as Thor picked Aria up and perched her on his hip once more.

“No.” Heimdall replied. “There is always hope.”

“Can you see them?” Thor asked softly.

Heimdall chuckled softly. “Yes.” He replied.

“How are they?” Lyssa asked.

“They search for you, all three of you.” Heimdall replied, looking at the trio beside him.

“Does anyone from the Wizarding World know about what had happened?” Lyssa asked. She had been told when she revealed her status as a witch that Asgard was aware of the Wizarding World. She had been pleasantly surprised to learn that Thor and Loki had previously spent time with the young witches and wizards who would grow up to become the Hogwarts Founders, that they had actually helped build the magnificent castle.

“Jane has succeeded in getting in touch with Remus using your communications device that had been left behind and informed him of what had transpired and the suspicion that you and Aria have become stuck here since none of you had returned to them.” Heimdall replied. “She has reassured Remus that she and her friends are doing everything they can to find you. Remus as a result has decided to remain in England and focus on trying to save Sirius.”

“Moony?” Aria asked when she heard Remus and Sirius’ names. “Mama, where Moony and Pafoo?”

“Moony is on Earth, Prongslet. And so is Padfoot.” Lyssa replied gently, not going into the details of what was really happening. She would tell her, when she was a bit older, but at the moment, she was just too young to really understand so she kept it simple - ‘Moony and Padfoot were in England’ or as it is now, ‘Moony and Padfoot are on Earth’. She turned to Heimdall with gratitude clear on her face. “Thank you.” She said earnestly, the gratitude echoing in her voice as well.

“Any time you wish to know of how they all fare, come to me and I will tell you of what I see.” Heimdall told them.

Lyssa and Thor both nodded and turned around, beginning the walk back towards the City. One arm holding Aria in place, Thor wrapped his other arm around Lyssa’s shoulders and she leaned in against him, bringing one hand up to poke Aria in her chubby stomach, earning a giggle from the girl.

Heimdall watched them go, not for the first time struck by how  _ right _ they looked, the three of them together. As a family.

_ Links: _

_ *Lyssa dress - _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879482470191/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879482470191/?nic=1)

_ *Lyssa shoes (light gold) – _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879483977710/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879483977710/)

_ *Lyssa hair - _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879485372611/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879485372611/)


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